Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yilan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $984 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$984

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $984 in Yilan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Yilan $984
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,699 in Yilan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Yilan $1,699
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,413 in Yilan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Yilan $2,413
Phuket $3,154

Living in Yilan costs roughly 23% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yilan 28% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 NT$112

$4.47 ฿151

-23.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.68 NT$968

$32.41 ฿1,093

-8.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 NT$158

$8.81 ฿297

-45.06%

Cappuccino

$2.86 NT$93.2

$2.83 ฿95.4

1.06%

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

$0.99 NT$32.29

$0.87 ฿29.41

13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 NT$22.42

$0.49 ฿16.65

40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NT$47.96

$2.56 ฿86.3

-42.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 NT$83.7

$3.68 ฿124

-30.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.07 NT$100

$1.66 ฿55.9

84.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 NT$56.7

$1.46 ฿49.31

19.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 NT$86.4

$1.50 ฿50.5

76.67%

Eggs

$2.52 NT$82.0

$2.09 ฿70.5

20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.23 NT$920

$19.07 ฿643

48.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 NT$259

$3.30 ฿111

140.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 NT$525

$10.91 ฿368

47.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 NT$140

$2.93 ฿98.9

47.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 NT$59.8

$1.69 ฿57.0

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 NT$96.2

$2.25 ฿75.8

31.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$2.08 ฿70.0

2.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 NT$39.13

$1.51 ฿51.0

-20.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 NT$63.4

$1.38 ฿46.52

40.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 NT$76.5

$1.07 ฿35.96

119.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NT$28.81

$0.52 ฿17.51

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 NT$122

$4.20 ฿142

-10.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.68 NT$511

$18.79 ฿634

-16.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$44.45

$1.82 ฿61.5

-25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 NT$81.7

$2.84 ฿95.8

-11.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 NT$24.75

$1.45 ฿48.98

-47.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.33 NT$1,087

$56.7 ฿1,912

-41.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 NT$87.6

$3.02 ฿102

-10.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 NT$31.09

$1.02 ฿34.33

-6.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.33 NT$304

$3.69 ฿125

152.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 NT$30.96

$1.47 ฿49.76

-35.37%

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

$25.1K NT$817.2K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-6.40%

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

$19.1K NT$621.9K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-28.54%

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

$45.67 NT$1,489

$96.4 ฿3,251

-52.60%

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

$14.60 NT$476

$11.26 ฿380

29.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.72 NT$676

$16.85 ฿568

22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.18 NT$984

$67.2 ฿2,268

-55.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.76 NT$253

$7.50 ฿253

3.47%

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

$329 NT$10.7K

$476 ฿16.1K

-30.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NT$525.0K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

42.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 NT$1,773

$62.4 ฿2,104

-12.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 NT$995

$28.41 ฿958

7.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 NT$2,742

$94.3 ฿3,181

-10.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.7 NT$2,013

$85.8 ฿2,895

-28.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 NT$8,607

$716 ฿24.2K

-63.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 NT$8,066

$491 ฿16.6K

-49.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 NT$34.1K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-45.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 NT$23.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-49.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,590 NT$247.5K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

81.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,807 NT$156.7K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

57.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 NT$33.1K

$502 ฿16.9K

102.34%

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 Yilan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yilan

$367 37.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.5% $101

Accommodation & Living

Yilan

$247 25.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 98.4% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Yilan

$104 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17.4% $18

Eating Out

Yilan

$95 9.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yilan

$81 8.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Yilan

$46 4.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 79.9% $37

Getting Around

Yilan

$44 4.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 61.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Yilan and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yilan pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30 in Yilan vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $367 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Yilan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h behind Yilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,907

79,308

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yilan Phuket 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Yilan
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

Yilan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yilan is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Yilan is about 2 times higher, 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: $264 in Yilan versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Yilan versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Yilan and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.