Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongli City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $1,005 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,005

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,005 in Zhongli City versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Zhongli City $1,005
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,698 in Zhongli City versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Zhongli City $1,698
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,392 in Zhongli City versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Zhongli City $2,392
Phuket $3,154

Living in Zhongli City costs roughly 21% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhongli City 26% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$150

$4.47 ฿151

2.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.45 NT$993

$32.41 ฿1,093

-6.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 NT$158

$8.81 ฿297

-44.84%

Cappuccino

$2.52 NT$82.3

$2.83 ฿95.4

-10.95%

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

$0.99 NT$32.20

$0.87 ฿29.41

13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$22.12

$0.49 ฿16.65

38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 NT$48.99

$2.56 ฿86.3

-41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 NT$87.4

$3.68 ฿124

-27.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.22 NT$105

$1.66 ฿55.9

93.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 NT$54.5

$1.46 ฿49.31

14.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 NT$85.3

$1.50 ฿50.5

74.67%

Eggs

$2.51 NT$81.7

$2.09 ฿70.5

20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.15 NT$396

$19.07 ฿643

-36.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 NT$215

$3.30 ฿111

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 NT$511

$10.91 ฿368

43.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 NT$119

$2.93 ฿98.9

24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 NT$60.5

$1.69 ฿57.0

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NT$95.6

$2.25 ฿75.8

30.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 NT$69.5

$2.08 ฿70.0

2.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 NT$39.89

$1.51 ฿51.0

-19.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 NT$60.5

$1.38 ฿46.52

34.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 NT$74.7

$1.07 ฿35.96

114.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NT$28.56

$0.52 ฿17.51

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$124

$4.20 ฿142

-9.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 NT$507

$18.79 ฿634

-17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 NT$50.2

$1.82 ฿61.5

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 NT$78.9

$2.84 ฿95.8

-14.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 NT$19.37

$1.45 ฿48.98

-59.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.95 NT$1,107

$56.7 ฿1,912

-40.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 NT$83.8

$3.02 ฿102

-14.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 NT$16.84

$1.02 ฿34.33

-49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 NT$301

$3.69 ฿125

150.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 NT$31.02

$1.47 ฿49.76

-35.37%

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

$34.4K NT$1.1M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

28.58%

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

$22.3K NT$726.4K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-16.54%

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

$101 NT$3,288

$96.4 ฿3,251

4.66%

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

$14.83 NT$484

$11.26 ฿380

31.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.67 NT$544

$16.85 ฿568

-1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.46 NT$1,189

$67.2 ฿2,268

-45.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 NT$327

$7.50 ฿253

33.73%

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

$332 NT$10.8K

$476 ฿16.1K

-30.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K NT$543.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

47.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 NT$2,323

$62.4 ฿2,104

14.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 NT$1,140

$28.41 ฿958

23.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.6 NT$1,749

$94.3 ฿3,181

-43.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 NT$3,437

$85.8 ฿2,895

22.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 NT$14.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-38.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 NT$8,019

$491 ฿16.6K

-49.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 NT$28.0K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-55.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 NT$23.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-49.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,314 NT$205.9K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

51.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,301 NT$140.2K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

41.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,257 NT$73.6K

$502 ฿16.9K

349.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

5.57

-62.30%

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

Last update for Zhongli City: 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

Zhongli City

$308 30.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 13.6% $42

Accommodation & Living

Zhongli City

$246 24.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 99.6% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongli City

$132 13.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 6% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongli City

$119 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.1% $2.5

Eating Out

Zhongli City

$101 10.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongli City

$57 5.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 45.5% $26

Getting Around

Zhongli City

$41 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 70.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $440 in Zhongli City and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongli City pays about 4.5 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 Zhongli City vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

1 h behind Zhongli City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

396,453

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 November 1, 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 November 1, 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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Between locations

Zhongli City Phuket 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhongli 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

Zhongli City vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongli City is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Zhongli City is about 4.5 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: $440 in Zhongli City versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $332 in Zhongli City 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 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Zhongli City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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