Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $1,005 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
Learn more

Zhongli City Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zhongli City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,005 in Zhongli City.

Phuket $1,278
Zhongli City $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,698 in Zhongli City.

Phuket $2,216
Zhongli City $1,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,392 in Zhongli City.

Phuket $3,154
Zhongli City $2,392

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Zhongli City 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.60 NT$150

-2.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$30.45 NT$993

6.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.86 NT$158

81.28%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.52 NT$82.3

12.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.99 NT$32.20

-12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.68 NT$22.12

-27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.50 NT$48.99

70.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.68 NT$87.4

37.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.22 NT$105

-48.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.67 NT$54.5

-12.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.62 NT$85.3

-42.75%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.51 NT$81.7

-16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.15 NT$396

56.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.60 NT$215

-50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.66 NT$511

-30.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.64 NT$119

-19.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.85 NT$60.5

-8.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.93 NT$95.6

-23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.13 NT$69.5

-2.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.22 NT$39.89

23.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.86 NT$60.5

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.29 NT$74.7

-53.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.88 NT$28.56

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.80 NT$124

10.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.54 NT$507

20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.54 NT$50.2

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.42 NT$78.9

17.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.59 NT$19.37

145.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$33.95 NT$1,107

66.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.57 NT$83.8

17.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.52 NT$16.84

96.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.25 NT$301

-60.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.95 NT$31.02

54.74%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.4K NT$1.1M

-22.23%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.3K NT$726.4K

19.81%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$101 NT$3,288

-4.45%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.83 NT$484

-24.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$16.67 NT$544

1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$36.46 NT$1,189

84.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.03 NT$327

-25.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$332 NT$10.8K

43.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$16.7K NT$543.5K

-32.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$71.3 NT$2,323

-12.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$34.96 NT$1,140

-18.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$53.6 NT$1,749

75.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$105 NT$3,437

-18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$440 NT$14.4K

62.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$246 NT$8,019

99.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$857 NT$28.0K

124.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$720 NT$23.5K

98.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$6,314 NT$205.9K

-33.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,301 NT$140.2K

-29.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,257 NT$73.6K

-77.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.1

165.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Zhongli City

$246 24.5% 49.9% $245

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Zhongli City

$308 30.7% 15.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Zhongli City

$132 13.2% 6.3% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zhongli City

$119 11.9% 2.1% $2.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zhongli City

$101 10.1% 16.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Zhongli City

$57 5.6% 31.3% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Zhongli City

$41 4.1% 41.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $440 in Zhongli City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongli City pays about 4.5 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 Zhongli City. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $308, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

396,453

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Zhongli City 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zhongli City

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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongli City is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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 $440 in Zhongli City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $332 in Zhongli City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Zhongli City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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