Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Xiamen Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Xiamen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $782 in Xiamen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,265 in Xiamen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,748 in Xiamen.

Living in Phuket is roughly 58% more expensive than Xiamen, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Xiamen 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.73 ¥18.73

69.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$23.25 ¥159

101.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$5.43 ¥37.21

62.80%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.84 ¥19.44

5.63%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.50 ¥3.43

48.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.29 ¥1.97

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.37 ¥9.40

78.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$3.38 ¥23.16

6.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.79 ¥12.24

26.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$2.06 ¥14.14

-10.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.80 ¥5.50

180.00%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.40 ¥9.56

65.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$10.99 ¥75.3

78.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.35 ¥16.11

55.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$11.05 ¥75.7

18.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.35 ¥16.07

44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.32 ¥9.06

24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.52 ¥10.41

58.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.84 ¥12.57

10.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.91 ¥6.21

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.72 ¥11.76

-12.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.88 ¥6.02

15.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.55 ¥3.76

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.73 ¥18.69

63.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$10.95 ¥75.0

72.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.78 ¥5.35

128.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.65 ¥11.29

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.20 ¥1.37

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$11.13 ¥76.2

3.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.37 ¥9.42

127.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.26 ¥1.78

284.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$6.80 ¥46.55

107.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.17 ¥8.04

15.38%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$16.8K ¥114.8K

62.22%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$17.2K ¥118.1K

91.00%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$39.51 ¥271

216.32%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.98 ¥68.4

35.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$9.64 ¥66.1

92.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$43.58 ¥299

41.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$9.87 ¥67.6

70.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$9.52 ¥65.2

-3.47%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$453 ¥3,104

54.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$22.7K ¥155.3K

-31.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$43.65 ¥299

32.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$26.95 ¥185

30.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$85.4 ¥585

32.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$79.9 ¥547

8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$328 ¥2,249

87.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$252 ¥1,729

76.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$849 ¥5,814

141.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$514 ¥3,518

190.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$9,027 ¥61.8K

-58.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$5,094 ¥34.9K

-48.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,134 ¥7,764

-53.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.56

49.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $328 in Xiamen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xiamen pays 116% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Xiamen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $205 per month, with Xiamen 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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xiamen is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Xiamen earns 116% 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: $616 in Phuket versus $328 in Xiamen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $453 in Xiamen. 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 $782 in Xiamen versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,500 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.

For families, Xiamen 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 Xiamen 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 Xiamen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.