Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhubei City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Zhubei City versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Zhubei City $1,055
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Zhubei City versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Zhubei City $1,841
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,627 in Zhubei City versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Zhubei City $2,627
Phuket $2,867

Living in Zhubei City costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhubei City 22% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$4.58 ฿153

5.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.00 NT$908

$32.48 ฿1,086

-13.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 NT$164

$8.55 ฿286

-40.70%

Cappuccino

$2.89 NT$93.8

$2.72 ฿91.0

6.25%

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

$0.91 NT$29.41

$0.94 ฿31.25

-3.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 NT$19.02

$0.49 ฿16.39

20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 NT$62.5

$2.59 ฿86.6

-25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$3.83 ฿128

-39.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.74 ฿58.1

60.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$1.43 ฿47.82

30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 NT$149

$1.53 ฿51.0

200.00%

Eggs

$2.85 NT$92.5

$2.17 ฿72.7

31.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.76 NT$803

$19.15 ฿640

29.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 NT$271

$3.30 ฿110

153.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.93 NT$841

$11.14 ฿372

132.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 NT$131

$2.95 ฿98.5

36.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NT$78.5

$1.68 ฿56.1

44.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 NT$87.3

$2.30 ฿76.8

16.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 NT$106

$2.13 ฿71.3

53.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 NT$97.9

$1.53 ฿51.1

97.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$1.36 ฿45.55

48.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 NT$66.9

$1.12 ฿37.44

83.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 NT$43.25

$0.55 ฿18.24

141.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$4.26 ฿142

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.23 NT$299

$18.19 ฿608

-49.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.36

$1.74 ฿58.2

-17.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.4

$2.79 ฿93.3

-16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.85

$2.22 ฿74.1

-72.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 NT$101

$2.91 ฿97.3

6.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 NT$20.76

$1.01 ฿33.79

-36.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.25 NT$300

$3.83 ฿128

141.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 NT$32.17

$1.49 ฿49.85

-33.56%

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

$33.5K NT$1.1M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

25.45%

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

$24.8K NT$805.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-6.98%

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

$103 NT$3,331

$99.4 ฿3,321

3.36%

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

$18.96 NT$615

$11.28 ฿377

68.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 NT$739

$17.36 ฿580

31.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.40 NT$1,018

$52.3 ฿1,747

-39.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 NT$324

$7.57 ฿253

31.97%

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

$646 NT$20.9K

$558 ฿18.7K

15.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$533.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

43.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 NT$1,870

$62.9 ฿2,102

-8.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 NT$1,010

$28.58 ฿955

8.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 NT$2,946

$96.1 ฿3,213

-5.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 NT$3,209

$88.1 ฿2,943

12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 NT$16.2K

$729 ฿24.4K

-31.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$7,032

$460 ฿15.4K

-52.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 NT$35.7K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-47.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 NT$24.9K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-37.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K NT$525.9K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

368.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,751 NT$316.2K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

291.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,391 NT$77.5K

$493 ฿16.5K

384.98%

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 Zhubei 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

Zhubei City

$400 37.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 33.1% $132

Accommodation & Living

Zhubei City

$217 20.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 112% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhubei City

$144 13.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 11.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Zhubei City

$125 11.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1% $1.3

Eating Out

Zhubei City

$109 10.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Zhubei City

$51 4.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 31.2% $16

Getting Around

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 345% $30

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 $501 in Zhubei City and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhubei City pays 385% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28.00 in Zhubei City vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

1 h behind Zhubei City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,746

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 18, 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 18, 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

Zhubei City Phuket 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhubei 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

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

Zhubei City is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 385% higher in Zhubei 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: $501 in Zhubei City versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $646 in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,055 in Zhubei City versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhubei City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhubei City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhubei 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, Zhubei 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 Zhubei City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.