Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yancheng Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yancheng

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,247 in Phuket versus $702 in Yancheng.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $1,109 in Yancheng.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Phuket versus $1,516 in Yancheng.

Living in Phuket is roughly 78% more expensive than Yancheng, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 7% lower, Yancheng 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$3.05 ¥20.83

50.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,501

$20.50 ¥140

128.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿279

$3.83 ¥26.16

127.15%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.7

$3.02 ¥20.63

-3.31%

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

$0.68 ฿21.92

$0.40 ¥2.72

70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.70

$0.23 ¥1.56

73.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.4

$0.88 ¥6.04

185.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$2.11 ¥14.42

80.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.3

$1.83 ¥12.53

18.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.3

$1.61 ¥10.99

16.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.2

$0.90 ¥6.17

140.00%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.2

$1.61 ¥11.03

37.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿627

$12.64 ¥86.4

54.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$3.09 ¥21.11

22.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿430

$10.05 ¥68.7

33.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$1.75 ¥11.95

86.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.7

$1.25 ¥8.56

28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿74.0

$1.42 ¥9.70

62.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿66.0

$1.10 ¥7.49

87.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$0.68 ¥4.66

136.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.26

$0.96 ¥6.55

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.01

$0.55 ¥3.77

87.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.39

$0.51 ¥3.50

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$3.22 ¥22.01

39.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿615

$10.32 ¥70.5

85.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.4

$0.75 ¥5.13

142.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.2

$1.67 ¥11.38

61.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.16

$0.27 ¥1.82

411.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿377

$17.02 ¥116

-30.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.6

$1.36 ¥9.32

128.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.18

$0.36 ¥2.43

177.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿441

$6.49 ¥44.31

111.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.61

$1.13 ¥7.69

15.04%

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

$27.4K ฿877.0K

$19.1K ¥130.5K

43.22%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$16.7K ¥114.0K

97.89%

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

$125 ฿4,004

$45.31 ¥309

175.61%

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

$13.74 ฿440

$9.94 ¥67.9

38.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿597

$11.53 ¥78.8

61.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,941

$41.26 ¥282

46.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿550

$13.87 ¥94.7

23.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿289

$6.12 ¥41.77

47.22%

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

$698 ฿22.4K

$333 ¥2,273

109.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿516.5K

$17.2K ¥117.5K

-6.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,898

$42.74 ¥292

38.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,118

$30.35 ¥207

14.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,662

$71.8 ¥491

59.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,751

$75.1 ¥513

14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

$280 ¥1,916

120.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$188 ¥1,282

132.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.5K

$603 ¥4,121

243.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.4K

$354 ¥2,420

325.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.7K

$3,172 ¥21.7K

18.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.4K

$1,995 ¥13.6K

34.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.87

37.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Yancheng: April 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $280 in Yancheng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Phuket vs $20 in Yancheng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $196 per month, with Yancheng 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 Yancheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yancheng is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,870 in Phuket and $1,053 in Yancheng 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: $619 in Phuket versus $280 in Yancheng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $333 in Yancheng. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $702 in Yancheng versus $1,247 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Yancheng but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yancheng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yancheng 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 Yancheng 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 Yancheng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.