Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yichang

For one person, living is cheaper in Yichang: $714 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Yichang
Learn more

Yichang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Yichang

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yichang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $714 in Yichang.

Phuket $1,207
Yichang $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,132 in Yichang.

Phuket $2,037
Yichang $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,551 in Yichang.

Phuket $2,867
Yichang $1,551

Living in Phuket is roughly 69% more expensive than in Yichang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Yichang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.74 ¥18.33

67.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$21.74 ¥145

49.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.88 ¥32.63

75.20%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.96 ¥19.77

-8.11%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.47 ¥3.11

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.27 ¥1.79

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.88 ¥5.91

194.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.11 ¥14.12

81.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.86 ¥12.41

-6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.60 ¥10.73

-10.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.95 ¥6.34

61.05%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.53 ¥10.24

41.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.98 ¥86.8

47.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.26 ¥21.81

1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.11 ¥67.6

10.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.79 ¥11.94

64.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.21 ¥8.09

38.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.53 ¥10.25

50.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.15 ¥7.66

85.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.75 ¥5.00

104.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.94 ¥6.31

44.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.55 ¥3.70

103.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.55 ¥3.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.16 ¥21.10

34.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.71 ¥71.6

69.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.76 ¥5.05

128.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.59 ¥10.63

75.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.27 ¥1.79

722.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$16.48 ¥110

33.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.36 ¥9.09

113.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.35 ¥2.35

188.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.55 ¥43.81

-41.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.12 ¥7.50

33.04%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

38.51%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$17.3K ¥115.4K

54.81%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$45.21 ¥302

119.80%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$9.71 ¥64.9

16.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.62 ¥77.7

49.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$42.47 ¥284

23.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.74 ¥91.9

-21.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.95 ¥39.81

27.23%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$329 ¥2,202

69.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.7K ¥111.8K

-31.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$43.70 ¥292

43.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$30.05 ¥201

-4.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$71.1 ¥476

35.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$70.8 ¥473

24.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$273 ¥1,825

167.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$192 ¥1,287

139.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$599 ¥4,006

249.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$361 ¥2,413

238.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,972 ¥19.9K

16.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,068 ¥13.8K

20.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Yichang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Yichang

$192 26.9% 58.2% $268

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Yichang

$200 27.9% 25.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Yichang

$67 9.3% 48% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Yichang

$97 13.6% 21.8% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Yichang

$84 11.7% 31.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Yichang

$54 7.6% 19.4% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Yichang

$21 2.9% 46.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $273 in Yichang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Yichang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $200 per month, with Yichang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Yichang

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,059,686

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Phuket Yichang 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yichang

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 Yichang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yichang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,071 in Yichang 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: $729 in Phuket versus $273 in Yichang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $329 in Yichang. 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 $714 in Yichang versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yichang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yichang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yichang 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 Yichang 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 Yichang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.