Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $984 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $984 in Yilan.

Phuket $1,278
Yilan $984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,699 in Yilan.

Phuket $2,216
Yilan $1,699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,413 in Yilan.

Phuket $3,154
Yilan $2,413

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Yilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yilan 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.43 NT$112

30.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$29.68 NT$968

9.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.84 NT$158

82.02%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.86 NT$93.2

-1.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.99 NT$32.29

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.69 NT$22.42

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.47 NT$47.96

74.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.57 NT$83.7

43.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.07 NT$100

-45.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.74 NT$56.7

-16.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.65 NT$86.4

-43.40%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.52 NT$82.0

-17.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$28.23 NT$920

-32.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.94 NT$259

-58.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.10 NT$525

-32.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.31 NT$140

-32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.83 NT$59.8

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.95 NT$96.2

-23.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.13 NT$69.5

-2.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.20 NT$39.13

25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.94 NT$63.4

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.35 NT$76.5

-54.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.88 NT$28.81

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.74 NT$122

12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.68 NT$511

19.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.36 NT$44.45

33.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.50 NT$81.7

13.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.76 NT$24.75

90.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$33.33 NT$1,087

70.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.69 NT$87.6

12.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.95 NT$31.09

7.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.33 NT$304

-60.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.95 NT$30.96

54.74%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$25.1K NT$817.2K

6.84%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$19.1K NT$621.9K

39.93%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$45.67 NT$1,489

110.97%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.60 NT$476

-22.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.72 NT$676

-18.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$30.18 NT$984

122.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.76 NT$253

-3.35%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$329 NT$10.7K

44.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$16.1K NT$525.0K

-30.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$54.4 NT$1,773

14.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$30.53 NT$995

-6.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$84.1 NT$2,742

12.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$61.7 NT$2,013

38.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$264 NT$8,607

171.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$247 NT$8,066

98.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,047 NT$34.1K

84.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$722 NT$23.5K

98.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$7,590 NT$247.5K

-44.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,807 NT$156.7K

-36.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,016 NT$33.1K

-50.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.27

145.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yilan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yilan

$247 25.1% 49.6% $244

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yilan

$367 37.3% 37.9% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yilan

$81 8.2% 34.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yilan

$104 10.6% 14.8% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yilan

$95 9.7% 21.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yilan

$46 4.6% 44.4% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yilan

$44 4.5% 37.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $264 in Yilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yilan pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Yilan. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $367, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Yilan

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

08:39 8:39 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

95,907

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Yilan 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yilan

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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yilan is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $264 in Yilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $329 in Yilan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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 Yilan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.