Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,055 in Zhubei City.

Phuket $1,207
Zhubei City $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,841 in Zhubei City.

Phuket $2,037
Zhubei City $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,627 in Zhubei City.

Phuket $2,867
Zhubei City $2,627

Living in Phuket is roughly 14% more expensive than in Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Zhubei City 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$4.83 NT$157

-5.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$28.00 NT$908

16.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.07 NT$164

68.64%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.89 NT$93.8

-5.88%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.91 NT$29.41

3.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.59 NT$19.02

-16.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.93 NT$62.5

34.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.33 NT$75.6

64.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.79 NT$90.4

-37.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.87 NT$60.7

-23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$4.59 NT$149

-66.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.85 NT$92.5

-23.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$24.76 NT$803

-22.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$8.37 NT$271

-60.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$25.93 NT$841

-57.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$4.04 NT$131

-26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.42 NT$78.5

-30.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.69 NT$87.3

-14.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.27 NT$106

-34.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.02 NT$97.9

-49.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.02 NT$65.5

-32.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.06 NT$66.9

-45.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.33 NT$43.25

-58.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.88 NT$126

9.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.23 NT$299

97.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.43 NT$46.36

21.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.33 NT$75.4

19.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.61 NT$19.85

263.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.10 NT$101

-6.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.64 NT$20.76

57.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.25 NT$300

-58.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.99 NT$32.17

50.51%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-20.28%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$24.8K NT$805.7K

7.51%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$103 NT$3,331

-3.25%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$18.96 NT$615

-40.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$22.80 NT$739

-23.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$31.40 NT$1,018

66.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$9.99 NT$324

-24.22%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$646 NT$20.9K

-13.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.5K NT$533.8K

-30.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$57.7 NT$1,870

9.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$31.13 NT$1,010

-8.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$90.8 NT$2,946

5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$99.0 NT$3,209

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$501 NT$16.2K

45.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$217 NT$7,032

112.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,100 NT$35.7K

90.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$768 NT$24.9K

59.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-78.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-74.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,391 NT$77.5K

-79.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.4

132.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 52.9% $243

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 49.4% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 12.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 1.1% $1.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 10.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 23.8% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 77.5% $30

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 $729 in Phuket and $501 in Zhubei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhubei City pays 385% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $28.00 in Zhubei City. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $400, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

211,746

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Zhubei City 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zhubei 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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhubei City is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 385% lower in Zhubei City. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $501 in Zhubei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $646 in Zhubei City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhubei City – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,055 in Zhubei City versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhubei City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhubei City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhubei City 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 Zhubei City 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 Zhubei City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.