Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Xiamen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $832 in Xiamen.

Phuket $1,278
Xiamen $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,337 in Xiamen.

Phuket $2,216
Xiamen $1,337

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,842 in Xiamen.

Phuket $3,154
Xiamen $1,842

Living in Phuket is roughly 54% more expensive than in Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Xiamen 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.93 ¥19.49

52.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$23.60 ¥157

37.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.20 ¥34.52

69.42%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.2

$2.57 ¥17.06

10.12%

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

$0.87 ฿29.36

$0.47 ¥3.10

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.63

$0.35 ¥2.35

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.51 ¥10.06

69.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.95 ¥19.57

24.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.47 ¥9.76

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.24

$2.28 ¥15.14

-35.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.95 ¥6.30

57.89%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.64 ¥10.87

27.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.02 ¥79.8

58.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.45 ¥16.24

34.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.76 ¥78.1

-7.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.58 ¥17.16

13.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.48 ¥9.80

14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.67 ¥11.10

34.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿69.9

$1.99 ¥13.23

4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.97 ¥6.47

55.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.45

$1.81 ¥12.04

-23.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.90

$0.93 ¥6.15

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.48

$0.54 ¥3.61

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.92 ¥19.36

43.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.38 ¥75.6

65.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.79 ¥5.28

130.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.74 ¥11.55

63.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$0.16 ¥1.08

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$11.93 ¥79.2

374.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.46 ¥9.67

106.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.28

$0.29 ¥1.91

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.39 ¥49.07

-50.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.33 ¥8.84

10.53%

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

$26.8K ฿902.1K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

35.63%

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

$26.7K ฿899.2K

$17.6K ¥116.7K

51.93%

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

$96.4 ฿3,246

$43.23 ¥287

122.88%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.70 ¥57.8

29.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$10.38 ¥68.9

62.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,265

$47.30 ¥314

42.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$10.31 ¥68.5

4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.24 ¥68.0

-26.76%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$496 ¥3,297

-4.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.5K

$24.8K ¥164.7K

-54.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,101

$39.20 ¥260

59.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$29.55 ¥196

-3.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,177

$107 ¥710

-11.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,891

$84.5 ¥561

1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$352 ¥2,341

103.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$266 ¥1,766

84.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$841 ¥5,587

129.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$544 ¥3,610

163.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$8,588 ¥57.0K

-51.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$4,847 ¥32.2K

-37.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,179 ¥7,833

-57.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Xiamen

$266 32% 45.8% $225

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Xiamen

$217 26.1% 18.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Xiamen

$62 7.5% 49.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Xiamen

$117 14.1% 4% $4.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 28.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Xiamen

$68 8.2% 17.6% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Xiamen

$15 1.9% 78.1% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $352 in Xiamen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xiamen pays about 2.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Xiamen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $217 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,531,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Xiamen 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Xiamen

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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xiamen is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $352 in Xiamen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $496 in Xiamen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $832 in Xiamen versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Xiamen 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 Xiamen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.