Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yuncheng Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yuncheng

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $668 in Yuncheng.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $1,038 in Yuncheng.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,291 in Phuket versus $1,409 in Yuncheng.

Living in Phuket is roughly 89% more expensive than in Yuncheng, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yuncheng 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ฿153

$1.83 ¥12.38

147.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.36 ฿1,563

$18.36 ¥124

152.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 ฿292

$5.61 ¥37.93

54.19%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿104

$3.32 ¥22.43

-6.93%

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

$0.68 ฿22.86

$0.34 ¥2.27

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.42

$0.28 ¥1.91

32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.5

$0.83 ¥5.60

191.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ฿128

$1.71 ¥11.54

122.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿73.4

$1.49 ¥10.07

46.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿61.3

$1.62 ¥10.93

12.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿73.4

$0.88 ¥5.95

147.73%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿75.4

$1.66 ¥11.23

34.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.93 ฿672

$6.98 ¥47.23

185.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ฿123

$1.97 ¥13.33

84.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿457

$9.24 ¥62.5

46.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$1.63 ¥11.06

101.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.17 ¥7.94

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿78.7

$1.29 ¥8.75

80.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.3

$0.82 ¥5.54

147.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.66 ¥4.47

142.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿50.4

$0.56 ¥3.82

166.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿34.13

$0.52 ¥3.49

94.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.07

$0.55 ¥3.73

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿150

$2.82 ¥19.06

57.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.63 ฿628

$7.23 ¥48.94

157.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿60.2

$0.76 ¥5.18

135.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ฿94.3

$1.70 ¥11.47

64.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.84

$0.29 ¥1.98

389.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.33 ฿382

$16.49 ¥112

-31.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ฿104

$0.72 ¥4.90

329.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.15

$0.33 ¥2.23

215.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.63 ฿459

$4.30 ¥29.08

216.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.18

$1.18 ¥8.00

11.02%

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

$27.3K ฿919.6K

$20.7K ¥140.3K

31.50%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$16.5K ¥111.5K

101.58%

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

$123 ฿4,152

$46.15 ¥312

166.87%

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

$13.81 ฿465

$5.99 ¥40.51

130.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿624

$11.71 ¥79.3

58.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ฿2,035

$41.51 ¥281

45.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 ฿566

$13.84 ¥93.6

21.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ฿300

$4.83 ¥32.67

84.06%

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

$687 ฿23.1K

$335 ¥2,266

105.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿524.2K

$17.9K ¥121.1K

-13.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,943

$55.8 ¥377

3.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.66 ฿1,168

$37.71 ¥255

-8.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,874

$69.6 ¥471

65.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 ฿2,862

$70.7 ¥478

20.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ฿20.8K

$276 ¥1,866

123.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 ฿14.9K

$188 ¥1,270

135.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 ฿69.0K

$599 ¥4,055

241.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 ฿50.8K

$366 ¥2,474

311.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,568 ฿120.3K

$2,947 ¥19.9K

21.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,511 ฿84.6K

$1,665 ¥11.3K

50.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.32

23.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 20, 2026

Last update for Yuncheng: July 22, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $618 in Phuket and $276 in Yuncheng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Yuncheng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $158 per month, with Yuncheng 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 Yuncheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yuncheng is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,891 in Phuket and $1,002 in Yuncheng 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: $618 in Phuket versus $276 in Yuncheng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Phuket versus $335 in Yuncheng. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $668 in Yuncheng versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Yuncheng but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yuncheng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yuncheng 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 Yuncheng 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 Yuncheng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.