Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yiwu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $550 in Yiwu versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Yiwu $550
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,299 in Yiwu versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Yiwu $1,299
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,048 in Yiwu versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Yiwu $2,048
Phuket $3,154

Living in Yiwu costs roughly 57% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yiwu 60% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.88 ¥19.15

$4.47 ฿151

-35.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.56 ¥197

$32.41 ฿1,094

-8.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 ¥35.06

$8.81 ฿297

-40.18%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$2.83 ฿95.5

20.49%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.87 ฿29.43

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.53

$0.49 ฿16.67

-22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$2.56 ฿86.4

-51.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥15.28

$3.68 ฿124

-37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.82

$1.66 ฿56.0

7.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.91

$1.46 ฿49.35

32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.50 ฿50.6

-31.33%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.27

$2.09 ฿70.5

-19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$19.07 ฿644

-11.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.04

$3.30 ฿111

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 ¥86.0

$10.91 ฿368

18.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.33

$2.93 ฿99.0

-26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.69 ฿57.1

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$2.25 ฿75.8

-9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 ¥11.27

$2.08 ฿70.1

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.44

$1.51 ฿51.0

-45.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.09

$1.38 ฿46.56

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.26

$1.07 ฿35.99

-40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.52 ฿17.52

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.52

$4.20 ฿142

-8.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 ¥71.7

$18.79 ฿634

-42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$1.82 ฿61.5

-51.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.32

$2.84 ฿95.9

-45.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ¥3.06

$1.45 ฿49.03

-68.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$3.02 ฿102

-53.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$1.02 ฿34.36

-53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.98 ¥59.8

$3.69 ฿125

143.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.47 ฿49.81

-13.61%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-25.88%

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

$18.3K ¥121.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-31.62%

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

$57.7 ¥384

$96.4 ฿3,254

-40.13%

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

$7.89 ¥52.5

$11.26 ฿380

-29.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.44 ¥69.5

$16.85 ฿569

-38.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.16 ¥101

$67.2 ฿2,270

-77.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$10.73 ฿362

5.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 ¥47.19

$7.50 ฿253

-5.47%

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

$1,606 ¥10.7K

$476 ฿16.1K

237.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥186.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

149.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$62.4 ฿2,106

-10.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 ¥252

$28.41 ฿959

33.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ¥509

$94.3 ฿3,184

-18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 ¥496

$85.8 ฿2,898

-13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,035

$716 ฿24.2K

-36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,024

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-45.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 ¥5,051

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-46.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K ¥79.1K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

184.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,935 ¥19.5K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-3.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ¥5,035

$502 ฿17.0K

50.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.57

-39.68%

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

Last update for Yiwu: 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

Yiwu

$235 42.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 13.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Yiwu

$110 20%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 10.8% $12

Eating Out

Yiwu

$94 17.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yiwu

$76 13.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 63.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Yiwu

$29 5.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 180% $53

Getting Around

Yiwu

$5.6 * 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1169% $65

Accommodation & Living

Yiwu

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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 $456 in Yiwu and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yiwu pays 51% 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 Yiwu vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $266 per month, with Yiwu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

1 h behind Yiwu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,015

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yiwu Phuket 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Yiwu
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

Yiwu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yiwu is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Yiwu, 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: $456 in Yiwu versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,606 in Yiwu versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yiwu – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $550 in Yiwu versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Yiwu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yiwu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.