Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
Learn more

Yiwu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yiwu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $550 in Yiwu.

Phuket $1,278
Yiwu $550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,299 in Yiwu.

Phuket $2,216
Yiwu $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,048 in Yiwu.

Phuket $3,154
Yiwu $2,048

Living in Phuket is roughly 132% more expensive than in Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yiwu 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.88 ¥19.15

55.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$29.56 ¥197

9.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.27 ¥35.06

67.17%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.41 ¥22.70

-17.01%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.58 ¥3.85

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.38 ¥2.53

28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.23 ¥8.20

108.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.30 ¥15.28

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.78 ¥11.82

-6.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.94 ¥12.91

-24.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.03 ¥6.87

45.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.69 ¥11.27

23.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.96 ¥113

12.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.31 ¥22.04

-0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.92 ¥86.0

-15.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.15 ¥14.33

36.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.73 ¥11.48

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.03 ¥13.49

10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.69 ¥11.27

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.82 ¥5.44

84.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.92 ¥6.09

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.64 ¥4.26

67.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.59 ¥3.91

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.84 ¥25.52

9.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.77 ¥71.7

74.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.88 ¥5.89

106.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.55 ¥10.32

83.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.46 ¥3.06

215.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.39 ¥9.23

117.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.47 ¥3.10

117.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.98 ¥59.8

-58.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.27 ¥8.47

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.8K ¥132.1K

34.92%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.3K ¥121.5K

46.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$57.7 ¥384

67.04%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.89 ¥52.5

42.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$10.44 ¥69.5

61.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$15.16 ¥101

343.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.35 ¥75.5

-5.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.09 ¥47.19

5.78%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,606 ¥10.7K

-70.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$28.1K ¥186.9K

-59.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$55.7 ¥371

11.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$37.90 ¥252

-25.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$76.5 ¥509

23.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$74.5 ¥496

15.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$456 ¥3,035

56.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,055 ¥7,024

82.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$759 ¥5,051

88.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$11.9K ¥79.1K

-64.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,935 ¥19.5K

3.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$757 ¥5,035

-33.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.36

65.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yiwu

$235 42.7% 11.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 38.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yiwu

$110 20% 9.7% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yiwu

$94 17.2% 22.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 64.3% $53

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yiwu

$5.6 * 1% 92.1% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $456 in Yiwu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yiwu pays 51% 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 Yiwu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $235 per month, with Yiwu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,234,015

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Yiwu 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yiwu

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 Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yiwu is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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 $456 in Yiwu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,606 in Yiwu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yiwu – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $550 in Yiwu versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Yiwu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yiwu 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.