Hong Kong vs Phuket: Hong Kong keeps $180K more of $1M

Hong Kong vs Phuket.

Hong Kong leaves about $180K more of a $1M income in hand each year than Phuket, on the Patrician.ch 2026 model. 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR against 🇹🇭 Thailand, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

In short, current to October 2026

On $1,000,000 of income, Hong Kong takes an effective 15% and Phuket takes 33%, so Hong Kong leaves about $180K more in hand each year on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
On a capital gain realized after residence begins, Hong Kong charges 0% and Phuket charges 35%. On a $5,000,000 event that is a difference of about $1.8M.
Hong Kong is modeled with no special regime for arriving foreigners. Thailand operates: Long-Term Resident visa with a 17% flat tax on employment income for highly skilled professionals, and a full exemption on foreign income for the qualifying LTR categories. Outside that visa, orders Por 161 and 162 of 2566 have taxed foreign income at 5% to 35% whenever a resident of 180 days or more brings it in, from 1 January 2024, with income earned before 2024 still exempt. A 2 year remittance exemption has been drafted since mid 2025 but is not law until it appears in the Royal Gazette. Gains on shares sold on the Stock Exchange of Thailand are exempt.
Inheritance, what a child pays: nothing in Hong Kong, 5% above THB 100M in Phuket.
Route in: Hong Kong by Residence by investment, Founder & talent. Phuket by Residence by investment, Remote work visa.
Cost of the life is 102 in Hong Kong against 50 in Phuket on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 10 against 6 of 10. Both are Patrician.ch editorial indices scored by us, not published statistics.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated 29 October 2026. Cite as: Patrician.ch, Hong Kong vs Phuket: tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/hong-kong-vs-phuket/, October 2026.

Phuket, Thailand — **Phuket** 🇹🇭 Thailand

	Hong Kong	Phuket
Effective tax at $300K	15%	30%
Effective tax at $1M	15%	33%
Effective tax at $3M	16%	34%
Kept after tax at $1M	$846K	$666K
Capital gains	0%	35%
Inheritance tax, children	nothing	5% above THB 100M
Cost index (Zurich 100)	102	50
A 200 m² prime home, US$	$8.7M	$1.7M
Prestige of address (editorial)	8/10	5/10
Safety	10/10	6/10
Schools	9/10	6/10
Sun hours	1,830	2,530
Supercar street index	#14	#79
Routes in	Residence by investment, Founder & talent	Residence by investment, Remote work visa
Net millionaire flow, 2025 forecast (country, Henley)	n/a	n/a
Flight from London	12h 35m nonstop	12h 15m nonstop
Flight from New York	15h 55m nonstop	19h 50m, 1 stop

See these 2 places for your own income.Hong Kong and Phuket, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October.

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Head to head

Effective income tax rate, % of income, at 3 incomes

$300K$1M$3MHong Kong15%15%16%Phuket30%33%34%

Note: single filer, not a US citizen

Source: Patrician.ch 2026 tax model, built on official tax authority rates

Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, non-US single filer, no social contributions, deductions, wealth taxes, or treaties. Inheritance is shown as it falls on a child, current to October 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

Hong Kong keeps more of a $1M salary, $180K a year on this model. Phuket answers with the life itself.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains: Hong Kong 0%, Phuket 35%. Neither city levies an annual wealth tax.

For a family

Hong Kong leads on schools and safety, Phuket on a lower cost and sun.

Hong KongThe full page

PhuketThe full page Rank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds

Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, Hong Kong or Phuket?

Hong Kong, by about $180K a year on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

Hong Kong takes an effective 15% of $1,000,000 and Phuket takes 33%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 16% and 34%.

Which taxes capital gains less, Hong Kong or Phuket?

Hong Kong, at 0% against 35% in Phuket.

On a $5,000,000 liquidity event realized after residence begins, the difference is about $1.8M.

Which is better for inheritance, Hong Kong or Phuket?

Hong Kong. What a child pays: nothing in Hong Kong, 5% above THB 100M in Phuket.

Hong Kong abolished estate duty in 2006. Thailand taxes inheritance above THB 100 million at 5% for descendants and parents and 10% for others. A spouse is exempt.

Which is cheaper to live in, Hong Kong or Phuket?

Phuket, at 50 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 102 for Hong Kong, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 10 of 10 in Hong Kong and 6 of 10 in Phuket, schools 9 and 6. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: Hong Kong, Phuket, and the third you have not considered.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.

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The income tax of Hong Kong and Phuket, side by side on 2026 rates. Your readers type their own salary and the places reorder. Free on any site, with the credit line under it.

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<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/hong-kong-vs-phuket/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

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Income tax on the published 2026 rules. Social contributions, most deductions and treaties are not modeled. Figures are for a non-US single filer. Wealth tax, an exit and your passports are added when you run the engine on your own numbers. Not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.

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