Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pingtung city and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $909 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pingtung city and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pingtung city and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $909 in Pingtung city versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Pingtung city $909
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,474 in Pingtung city versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Pingtung city $1,474
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,038 in Pingtung city versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Pingtung city $2,038
Phuket $2,867

Living in Pingtung city costs roughly 25% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pingtung city 33% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 NT$179

$4.58 ฿153

20.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.64 NT$1,026

$32.48 ฿1,086

-2.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 NT$153

$8.55 ฿286

-44.91%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NT$93.1

$2.72 ฿91.0

5.51%

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

$0.98 NT$31.82

$0.94 ฿31.25

4.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$21.92

$0.49 ฿16.39

38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NT$49.83

$2.59 ฿86.6

-40.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 NT$81.6

$3.83 ฿128

-34.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.22 NT$104

$1.74 ฿58.1

85.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NT$62.0

$1.43 ฿47.82

33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 NT$84.2

$1.53 ฿51.0

69.93%

Eggs

$2.65 NT$86.0

$2.17 ฿72.7

22.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 NT$506

$19.15 ฿640

-18.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 NT$261

$3.30 ฿110

144.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 NT$489

$11.14 ฿372

35.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 NT$140

$2.95 ฿98.5

46.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$1.68 ฿56.1

11.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 NT$80.8

$2.30 ฿76.8

8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 NT$104

$2.13 ฿71.3

49.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 NT$38.37

$1.53 ฿51.1

-22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.7

$1.36 ฿45.55

41.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$1.12 ฿37.44

108.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NT$27.60

$0.55 ฿18.24

54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$123

$4.26 ฿142

-10.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.42 NT$500

$18.19 ฿608

-15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 NT$50.2

$1.74 ฿58.2

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NT$72.5

$2.79 ฿93.3

-19.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 NT$15.89

$2.22 ฿74.1

-77.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.5

$2.91 ฿97.3

-7.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 NT$24.04

$1.01 ฿33.79

-26.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 NT$207

$3.83 ฿128

67.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.32

$1.49 ฿49.85

-30.87%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

27.69%

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

$23.0K NT$746.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-13.86%

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

$111 NT$3,590

$99.4 ฿3,321

11.40%

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

$15.11 NT$490

$11.28 ฿377

33.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 NT$833

$17.36 ฿580

48.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 NT$311

$7.57 ฿253

26.55%

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

$344 NT$11.2K

$558 ฿18.7K

-38.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K NT$453.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

21.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 NT$2,297

$62.9 ฿2,102

12.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 NT$1,013

$28.58 ฿955

9.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 NT$2,670

$96.1 ฿3,213

-14.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,359

$88.1 ฿2,943

17.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 NT$8,018

$729 ฿24.4K

-66.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 NT$5,023

$460 ฿15.4K

-66.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 NT$24.2K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-64.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 NT$12.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-69.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,912 NT$62.0K

$493 ฿16.5K

287.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

5.57

-59.25%

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

Last update for Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pingtung city

$334 36.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 19.8% $66

Accommodation & Living

Pingtung city

$155 17%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 197% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pingtung city

$152 16.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 15.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Pingtung city

$130 14.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.3% $5.5

Eating Out

Pingtung city

$112 12.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 8.3% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 252% $48

Getting Around

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 365% $31

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 $247 in Pingtung city and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pingtung city pays 288% 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 Pingtung city vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $334 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind Pingtung city

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,644

79,308

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

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).

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).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pingtung city Phuket 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Pingtung city
Phuket

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

Pingtung city vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pingtung city is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 288% higher in Pingtung city, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $247 in Pingtung city versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $344 in Pingtung city versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $909 in Pingtung city versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pingtung city but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pingtung city the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pingtung 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, Pingtung city and Phuket 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 Pingtung city gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.