Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Urumqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $605 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
Learn more

Urumqi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Urumqi

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 Urumqi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $605 in Urumqi.

Phuket $1,208
Urumqi $605

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $960 in Urumqi.

Phuket $2,027
Urumqi $960

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,316 in Urumqi.

Phuket $2,845
Urumqi $1,316

Living in Phuket is roughly 100% more expensive than in Urumqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Urumqi 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.29 ¥21.98

33.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$18.16 ¥121

77.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.28 ¥35.30

65.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.87 ¥19.19

-1.39%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.46 ¥3.08

95.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.24 ¥1.59

95.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.14 ¥7.63

123.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.77 ¥11.83

116.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.24 ¥8.26

39.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.93 ¥6.22

58.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.62 ¥4.12

143.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.54 ¥10.28

40.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$6.13 ¥40.96

221.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.49 ¥16.63

34.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.61 ¥64.3

16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.04 ¥13.62

39.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.23 ¥8.22

38.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.86 ¥12.43

17.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.76 ¥5.11

169.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.54 ¥3.61

168.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.62 ¥4.17

122.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.50 ¥3.33

114.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.45 ¥3.00

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.93 ¥19.57

45.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.51 ¥70.3

76.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.09 ¥7.30

63.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.47 ¥9.84

93.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.93

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$18.08 ¥121

22.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.47 ¥9.81

104.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.29 ¥1.94

265.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.30 ¥48.80

-47.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.23 ¥8.23

17.89%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$17.9K ¥119.5K

47.37%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$13.9K ¥93.2K

93.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$66.5 ¥444

45.04%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$5.43 ¥36.33

103.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.29 ¥75.5

51.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$22.12 ¥148

135.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.40 ¥62.8

18.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.82 ¥38.90

34.19%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$161 ¥1,078

244.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$9,005 ¥60.2K

28.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$52.6 ¥351

22.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$22.05 ¥147

30.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$106 ¥712

-10.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$44.33 ¥296

98.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$261 ¥1,748

181.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$117 ¥784

294.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$405 ¥2,708

417.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$251 ¥1,678

378.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,834 ¥12.3K

90.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,159 ¥7,748

117.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,114 ¥7,449

-55.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.39

64.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Urumqi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Urumqi

$117 19.4% 74.7% $345

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Urumqi

$158 26.2% 41% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Urumqi

$83 13.8% 33.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Urumqi

$101 16.8% 18.4% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Urumqi

$89 14.7% 26.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Urumqi

$34 5.6% 50.2% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Urumqi

$22 3.7% 43.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $261 in Urumqi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urumqi pays 123% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Urumqi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $158 per month, with Urumqi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

04:05 4:05 AM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,054,369

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Urumqi 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Urumqi

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 Urumqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Urumqi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 123% lower in Urumqi. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $261 in Urumqi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $161 in Urumqi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $605 in Urumqi versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Urumqi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Urumqi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Urumqi 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 Urumqi 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 Urumqi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.