Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yangshuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangshuo: $713 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Yangshuo
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Yangshuo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Yangshuo

🇨🇳 China

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yangshuo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $713 in Yangshuo.

Phuket $1,294
Yangshuo $713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,130 in Yangshuo.

Phuket $2,204
Yangshuo $1,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,547 in Yangshuo.

Phuket $3,115
Yangshuo $1,547

Living in Phuket is roughly 81% more expensive than in Yangshuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Yangshuo 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$2.86 ¥19.03

53.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$21.51 ¥143

50.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$4.89 ¥32.55

77.91%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.00 ¥19.98

-9.33%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$0.47 ¥3.14

97.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.27 ¥1.78

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$0.89 ¥5.91

184.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.07 ¥13.77

75.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.88 ¥12.54

-7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.54 ¥10.28

-5.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$0.91 ¥6.06

64.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$1.59 ¥10.59

36.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$12.80 ¥85.2

49.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$3.24 ¥21.59

4.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$10.25 ¥68.2

6.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.86 ¥12.41

58.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.19 ¥7.95

42.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.53 ¥10.17

43.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.10 ¥7.35

92.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$0.74 ¥4.94

97.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.91 ¥6.03

50.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$0.59 ¥3.95

83.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.51 ¥3.42

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.08 ¥20.48

43.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$10.61 ¥70.7

72.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$0.78 ¥5.22

126.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$1.60 ¥10.63

80.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.29 ¥1.94

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$16.38 ¥109

235.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.37 ¥9.11

10.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.32 ¥2.16

143.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$6.64 ¥44.23

-42.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.16 ¥7.74

28.45%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$19.7K ¥131.2K

36.36%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$17.1K ¥114.1K

53.69%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$45.08 ¥300

116.97%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$9.90 ¥65.9

14.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$11.76 ¥78.3

46.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$42.39 ¥282

61.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$14.01 ¥93.3

-22.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$6.09 ¥40.51

22.00%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$329 ¥2,190

61.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$17.1K ¥114.0K

9.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$43.48 ¥290

41.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$30.09 ¥200

-6.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$70.6 ¥470

36.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$73.2 ¥488

18.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$274 ¥1,823

163.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$190 ¥1,263

168.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$599 ¥3,985

225.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$354 ¥2,358

294.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$2,986 ¥19.9K

40.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$2,009 ¥13.4K

64.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Yangshuo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Yangshuo

$190 26.6% 62.7% $319

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Yangshuo

$199 27.9% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Yangshuo

$67 9.4% 47.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Yangshuo

$98 13.7% 20.3% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Yangshuo

$85 11.9% 28.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Yangshuo

$55 7.7% 34.4% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Yangshuo

$21 2.9% 68.9% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $274 in Yangshuo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $22 in Yangshuo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $199 per month, with Yangshuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Yangshuo

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

300,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Yangshuo 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yangshuo

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 Yangshuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yangshuo is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,070 in Yangshuo 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: $721 in Phuket versus $274 in Yangshuo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $329 in Yangshuo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $713 in Yangshuo versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Yangshuo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yangshuo 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Yangshuo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Yangshuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.