Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Xianyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Xianyang: $617 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
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Xianyang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Xianyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $617 in Xianyang.

Phuket $1,208
Xianyang $617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $995 in Xianyang.

Phuket $2,027
Xianyang $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,373 in Xianyang.

Phuket $2,845
Xianyang $1,373

Living in Phuket is roughly 96% more expensive than in Xianyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Xianyang 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.25 ¥15.06

95.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$17.21 ¥115

87.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.46 ¥29.81

96.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.08 ¥13.93

36.06%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.39 ¥2.58

130.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.27 ¥1.80

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.77 ¥5.17

231.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.45 ¥9.71

164.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.44 ¥9.61

20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.07 ¥7.13

37.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.78 ¥5.22

93.59%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.41 ¥9.45

53.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.57 ¥64.0

105.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$1.81 ¥12.13

84.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.38 ¥49.37

51.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.22 ¥8.18

133.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.03 ¥6.86

65.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.25 ¥8.36

75.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.63 ¥4.19

225.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.43 ¥2.89

237.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.59 ¥3.92

133.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.63 ¥4.20

69.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.59 ¥3.95

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.07 ¥20.52

38.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.32 ¥48.97

153.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.44 ¥2.92

304.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.76 ¥11.78

61.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.92

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$17.65 ¥118

25.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.29 ¥8.62

133.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.29 ¥1.91

265.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$4.53 ¥30.31

-14.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.20 ¥8.05

20.83%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.5K ¥130.5K

34.93%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$11.9K ¥79.6K

126.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$36.81 ¥246

161.83%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$6.37 ¥42.62

73.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$10.61 ¥70.9

61.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$42.47 ¥284

22.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.22 ¥102

-26.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.88 ¥39.33

32.82%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$333 ¥2,229

66.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$15.1K ¥101.1K

-23.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$38.65 ¥258

66.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$37.53 ¥251

-23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$75.6 ¥506

26.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$60.1 ¥402

46.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$297 ¥1,988

147.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$180 ¥1,203

157.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$618 ¥4,130

239.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$381 ¥2,547

215.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,456 ¥23.1K

0.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$753 ¥5,033

235.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$598 ¥3,999

-16.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Xianyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Xianyang

$180 29.1% 61.1% $282

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Xianyang

$147 23.8% 45.4% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 56.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Xianyang

$95 15.5% 23.3% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Xianyang

$66 10.7% 45.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Xianyang

$54 8.8% 20% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Xianyang

$22 3.5% 45.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $297 in Xianyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xianyang pays 19% 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 $17.00 in Xianyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $147 per month, with Xianyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,324,612

💱 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 Xianyang 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Xianyang

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 Xianyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xianyang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Xianyang. 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 $297 in Xianyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $333 in Xianyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $617 in Xianyang versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xianyang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Xianyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Xianyang 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 Xianyang 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 Xianyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.