Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yulin Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yulin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $703 in Yulin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,120 in Yulin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,537 in Yulin.

Living in Phuket is roughly 80% more expensive than Yulin, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yulin 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$2.82 ¥19.11

66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,491

$20.79 ¥141

118.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿277

$4.97 ¥33.73

69.62%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿96.3

$3.03 ¥20.52

-3.30%

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

$0.69 ฿22.54

$0.46 ¥3.12

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.07

$0.29 ¥1.99

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿79.2

$0.93 ¥6.30

159.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.11 ¥14.28

76.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.4

$1.80 ¥12.19

23.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿60.2

$1.54 ¥10.44

18.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿71.3

$0.96 ¥6.50

126.04%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.8

$1.64 ¥11.11

34.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿649

$13.09 ¥88.8

50.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.16 ¥21.46

14.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿445

$10.26 ¥69.6

31.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿108

$1.81 ¥12.30

81.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.0

$1.26 ¥8.54

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.2

$1.42 ¥9.63

69.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.5

$1.09 ¥7.36

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿50.3

$0.73 ¥4.94

109.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.67

$0.98 ¥6.68

51.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.50

$0.60 ¥4.09

65.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.78

$0.55 ¥3.71

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿145

$3.14 ¥21.33

40.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿637

$11.22 ¥76.1

72.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.5

$0.79 ¥5.37

125.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿89.1

$1.65 ¥11.17

64.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿45.07

$0.27 ¥1.82

407.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿375

$16.61 ¥113

-31.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿99.3

$1.41 ¥9.60

114.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.69

$0.36 ¥2.41

175.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿463

$6.52 ¥44.24

116.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.79

$1.17 ¥7.92

16.24%

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

$28.2K ฿927.0K

$19.4K ¥131.6K

45.39%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.6K ¥112.4K

98.62%

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

$122 ฿4,000

$44.91 ¥305

170.99%

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

$13.57 ฿446

$9.54 ¥64.7

42.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿602

$11.62 ¥78.8

57.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,979

$41.85 ¥284

43.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿563

$13.80 ¥93.6

24.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿286

$6.33 ¥42.95

37.28%

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

$693 ฿22.8K

$332 ¥2,252

108.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿515.6K

$17.0K ¥115.2K

-7.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,957

$42.82 ¥290

39.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,143

$30.00 ¥203

15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,767

$71.5 ¥485

60.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,738

$74.6 ¥506

11.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.2K

$282 ¥1,911

117.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.4K

$191 ¥1,294

129.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.8K

$601 ¥4,079

248.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.6K

$354 ¥2,398

326.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿123.2K

$3,190 ¥21.6K

17.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿86.0K

$1,769 ¥12.0K

47.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

$602 ¥4,080

-15.54%

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: June 2, 2026

Last update for Yulin: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $282 in Yulin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yulin pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Yulin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $200 per month, with Yulin 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 Yulin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yulin is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Yulin earns 18% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $282 in Yulin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $332 in Yulin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $703 in Yulin versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yulin but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yulin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yulin 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 Yulin 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 Yulin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.