Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yulin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yulin: $699 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Yulin
Learn more

Yulin Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yulin

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yulin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $699 in Yulin.

Phuket $1,278
Yulin $699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,123 in Yulin.

Phuket $2,216
Yulin $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,548 in Yulin.

Phuket $3,154
Yulin $1,548

Living in Phuket is roughly 83% more expensive than in Yulin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yulin 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.27 ¥15.10

96.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.19 ¥108

100.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.90 ¥32.60

79.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.14 ¥14.27

32.24%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.40 ¥2.67

117.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.24 ¥1.58

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.70 ¥11.30

50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.23 ¥14.81

65.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.84 ¥12.24

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.64 ¥10.95

-10.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.98 ¥6.55

53.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.69 ¥11.22

23.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.16 ¥80.9

56.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.60 ¥23.94

-8.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.61 ¥77.3

-6.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.73 ¥11.49

69.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.33 ¥8.82

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.49 ¥9.91

51.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.23 ¥8.20

69.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.76 ¥5.07

98.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.99 ¥6.61

39.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.68 ¥4.53

57.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.56 ¥3.72

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.46 ¥23.03

21.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.34 ¥68.8

81.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.81 ¥5.37

124.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.42 ¥9.44

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.31 ¥2.05

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$19.78 ¥132

186.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.44 ¥9.57

109.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.37 ¥2.48

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.94 ¥52.9

-53.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.41 ¥9.35

4.26%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$17.2K ¥114.4K

55.75%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

49.54%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$57.2 ¥380

68.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.96 ¥59.6

25.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$11.40 ¥75.9

47.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$41.11 ¥274

63.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.85 ¥112

-36.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.49 ¥43.21

15.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$421 ¥2,803

13.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$16.2K ¥107.6K

-30.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$43.04 ¥286

44.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.41 ¥216

-12.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$74.7 ¥497

26.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$75.1 ¥500

14.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$329 ¥2,186

117.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$162 ¥1,081

202.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$613 ¥4,079

214.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$363 ¥2,415

294.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,146 ¥20.9K

32.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,915 ¥12.7K

59.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$592 ¥3,939

-15.14%

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 Yulin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yulin

$162 23.3% 66.9% $328

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yulin

$205 29.3% 23.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yulin

$78 11.1% 37.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yulin

$101 14.5% 16.8% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yulin

$74 10.6% 39.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yulin

$54 7.7% 34.2% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yulin

$24 3.5% 65.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $329 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: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Yulin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $205 per month, with Yulin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Yulin

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,700,000

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Yulin 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yulin

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 Yulin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 15% 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 $329 in Yulin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $421 in Yulin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $699 in Yulin versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 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.

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.

Expats usually find Yulin 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.