Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Tainan $1,068
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Tainan versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Tainan $1,837
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,606 in Tainan versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Tainan $2,606
Phuket $2,867

Living in Tainan costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tainan 21% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$4.58 ฿153

-18.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$32.48 ฿1,086

-24.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$8.55 ฿286

-43.98%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NT$106

$2.72 ฿91.0

20.22%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$0.94 ฿31.25

1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$0.49 ฿16.39

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

$2.59 ฿86.6

10.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

$3.83 ฿128

-8.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$1.74 ฿58.1

77.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$1.43 ฿47.82

23.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$1.53 ฿51.0

105.88%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$2.17 ฿72.7

26.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$19.15 ฿640

1.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$3.30 ฿110

199.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$11.14 ฿372

88.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$2.95 ฿98.5

68.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.68 ฿56.1

70.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$2.30 ฿76.8

30.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$2.13 ฿71.3

110.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$1.53 ฿51.1

73.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$1.36 ฿45.55

66.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$1.12 ฿37.44

52.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$0.55 ฿18.24

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$124

$4.26 ฿142

-10.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

$18.19 ฿608

-23.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$1.74 ฿58.2

-5.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$2.79 ฿93.3

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$2.22 ฿74.1

-72.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$22.06 ฿737

53.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$2.91 ฿97.3

-13.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$1.01 ฿33.79

-23.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$3.83 ฿128

49.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.49 ฿49.85

-32.21%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

22.95%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-9.89%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$99.4 ฿3,321

-12.24%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$11.28 ฿377

55.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$17.36 ฿580

22.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$52.3 ฿1,747

-12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$7.57 ฿253

26.82%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$558 ฿18.7K

-22.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-52.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$62.9 ฿2,102

0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$28.58 ฿955

37.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$96.1 ฿3,213

-12.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$88.1 ฿2,943

17.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$729 ฿24.4K

-59.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$460 ฿15.4K

-56.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-59.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-43.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

19.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

21.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$493 ฿16.5K

179.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.57

-56.91%

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

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 32% $126

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 131% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.8% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 1.6% $2

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 9.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 4% $2.6

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 8.9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Tainan and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tainan pays 179% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Tainan vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

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

Tainan Phuket 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Tainan
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

Tainan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tainan is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 179% higher in Tainan, 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: $297 in Tainan versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $433 in Tainan versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 47% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,068 in Tainan versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tainan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tainan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tainan 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, Tainan 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 Tainan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.