Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tieling Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tieling

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $699 in Tieling.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,109 in Tieling.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,520 in Tieling.

Living in Phuket is roughly 81% more expensive than Tieling, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tieling 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$2.82 ¥19.13

66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$21.00 ¥142

116.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$4.99 ¥33.81

68.94%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$2.99 ¥20.23

-2.01%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.47 ¥3.16

46.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.29 ¥1.99

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.93 ¥6.31

159.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.13 ¥14.41

74.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.84 ¥12.45

21.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$1.59 ¥10.74

15.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$0.90 ¥6.07

141.11%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.58 ¥10.71

39.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$12.70 ¥86.1

55.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.18 ¥21.56

14.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$10.12 ¥68.5

33.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$1.72 ¥11.64

90.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.21 ¥8.20

33.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.37 ¥9.26

75.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.13 ¥7.63

84.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$0.68 ¥4.61

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.96 ¥6.47

54.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$0.59 ¥4.02

67.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.51 ¥3.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.09 ¥20.95

42.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$10.98 ¥74.4

76.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.80 ¥5.42

122.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.57 ¥10.65

72.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.29 ¥1.98

372.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$16.76 ¥114

-32.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.35 ¥9.14

123.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.33 ¥2.21

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$6.56 ¥44.40

114.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.13 ¥7.63

20.35%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$19.3K ¥131.0K

45.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.9K ¥114.3K

94.92%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$122 ฿3,975

$46.25 ¥313

163.14%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.57 ฿443

$9.69 ¥65.6

40.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$11.49 ¥77.9

59.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$41.62 ¥282

44.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$14.02 ¥95.0

22.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$6.14 ¥41.62

41.53%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$693 ฿22.6K

$331 ¥2,245

109.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$17.1K ¥115.9K

-8.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$42.79 ¥290

39.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$29.87 ¥202

16.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$70.3 ¥476

62.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$73.1 ¥495

13.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$279 ¥1,888

120.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$190 ¥1,285

130.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$584 ¥3,956

258.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$366 ¥2,477

312.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$3,449 ¥23.4K

8.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,962 ¥13.3K

33.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$659 ¥4,462

-22.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.87

37.73%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Tieling: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $279 in Tieling. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tieling pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Tieling for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $197 per month, with Tieling cheaper across the board.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Tieling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tieling is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Tieling earns 30% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $613 in Phuket versus $279 in Tieling. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $331 in Tieling. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $699 in Tieling versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tieling but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tieling the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tieling is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tieling are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tieling gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.