Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tonghua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $643 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
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Tonghua Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tonghua

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Tonghua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $643 in Tonghua.

Phuket $1,278
Tonghua $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,038 in Tonghua.

Phuket $2,216
Tonghua $1,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,432 in Tonghua.

Phuket $3,154
Tonghua $1,432

Living in Phuket is roughly 99% more expensive than in Tonghua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tonghua 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.27 ¥15.08

96.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$22.26 ¥148

45.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.23 ¥34.79

68.45%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.21 ¥14.73

28.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.43 ¥2.88

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.36 ¥2.38

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.74 ¥4.90

245.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.83 ¥12.17

101.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.69 ¥11.24

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.16 ¥14.34

-32.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.03 ¥6.88

45.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.05 ¥6.99

99.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$13.73 ¥91.4

38.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.97 ¥19.74

11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.92 ¥46.03

57.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.01 ¥6.74

190.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.07 ¥7.15

57.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.81 ¥5.38

177.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.07 ¥7.14

94.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.86 ¥5.71

75.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.03 ¥6.85

33.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.58 ¥3.87

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.65 ¥4.32

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.72 ¥24.77

12.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.76 ¥78.3

59.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.69 ¥4.57

163.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.15 ¥7.63

146.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 ¥1.90

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$18.11 ¥121

212.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.88 ¥5.87

243.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.39 ¥2.57

161.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$3.01 ¥20.05

22.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.24 ¥8.22

18.55%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.4K ¥128.8K

38.32%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

55.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$23.30 ¥155

313.52%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.98 ¥39.77

88.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.88 ¥59.1

89.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$42.23 ¥281

59.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$14.79 ¥98.4

-27.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.05 ¥40.26

23.97%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$300 ¥1,994

58.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$14.9K ¥99.0K

-24.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$22.75 ¥151

174.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$33.44 ¥223

-15.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$61.0 ¥406

54.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$69.0 ¥459

24.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$285 ¥1,897

151.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$186 ¥1,237

164.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$598 ¥3,978

222.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$361 ¥2,404

296.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,262 ¥21.7K

27.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

53.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$501 ¥3,336

0.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tonghua

$186 28.9% 62.1% $305

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tonghua

$188 29.2% 29.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tonghua

$38 5.9% 69.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tonghua

$84 13% 31.2% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tonghua

$71 11% 41.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tonghua

$54 8.5% 33.9% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tonghua

$22 3.4% 68.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $285 in Tonghua. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $22 in Tonghua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $188 per month, with Tonghua cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

446,917

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tonghua 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tonghua

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Tonghua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tonghua is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $964 in Tonghua to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $285 in Tonghua. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $300 in Tonghua. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $643 in Tonghua versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tonghua but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tonghua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Tonghua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.