Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $904 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $904 in Changchun versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Changchun $904
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,324 in Changchun versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Changchun $1,324
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,743 in Changchun versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Changchun $1,743
Phuket $2,845

Living in Changchun costs roughly 25% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changchun 33% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.17

$4.40 ฿148

-31.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.15 ¥148

$32.26 ฿1,089

-31.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.59

$8.76 ฿296

-40.75%

Cappuccino

$2.40 ¥15.98

$2.83 ฿95.4

-15.19%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.90 ฿30.43

-47.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.47 ฿15.71

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$2.55 ฿86.0

-52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥12.71

$3.83 ฿129

-50.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.67

$1.73 ฿58.2

9.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.14

$1.47 ฿49.58

-17.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.63

$1.51 ฿51.1

-4.64%

Eggs

$1.81 ¥12.09

$2.17 ฿73.3

-16.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.55 ¥230

$19.70 ฿665

75.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 ¥38.06

$3.34 ฿113

70.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ¥69.1

$11.16 ฿377

-7.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.48

$2.85 ฿96.0

-39.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$1.70 ฿57.5

-14.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$2.19 ฿74.0

-17.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.63

$2.05 ฿69.0

-7.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$1.45 ฿49.03

-38.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.07 ฿36.04

-45.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.77

$0.51 ฿17.07

188.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.21

$4.26 ฿144

-11.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.06 ¥140

$18.58 ฿627

13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.11

$1.78 ฿60.2

-48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$2.85 ฿96.1

-61.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.91

$2.26 ฿76.3

-80.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ¥8.24

$3.01 ฿102

-58.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.06 ฿35.68

-70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ¥20.13

$3.86 ฿130

-21.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$1.45 ฿48.91

-11.72%

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

$19.3K ¥129.0K

$26.3K ฿888.3K

-26.54%

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

$17.8K ¥118.6K

$26.9K ฿909.1K

-34.00%

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

$76.7 ¥511

$96.4 ฿3,252

-20.45%

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

$4.43 ¥29.56

$11.04 ฿372

-59.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.76 ¥98.4

$17.14 ฿578

-13.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 ¥250

$52.2 ฿1,760

-28.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 ¥27.52

$11.16 ฿376

-62.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$7.81 ฿263

-14.98%

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

$553 ¥3,692

$556 ฿18.8K

-0.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ¥145.8K

$11.6K ฿390.7K

88.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 ¥492

$64.2 ฿2,166

14.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 ¥296

$28.69 ฿968

54.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 ¥401

$95.4 ฿3,217

-36.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ¥465

$88.0 ฿2,968

-20.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 ¥1,443

$737 ฿24.9K

-70.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 ¥1,644

$462 ฿15.6K

-46.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 ¥3,839

$2,095 ฿70.7K

-72.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ¥2,052

$1,201 ฿40.5K

-74.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,668 ¥11.1K

$3,488 ฿117.7K

-52.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ¥6,711

$2,523 ฿85.1K

-60.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$961 ¥6,408

$501 ฿16.9K

91.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

5.57

-21.54%

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

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changchun

$313 * 34.6%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 14.2% $44

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$246 27.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 87.6% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$112 12.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 11.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$96 10.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 29.9% $29

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Phuket

$121 10% 48.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$51 5.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 33.6% $17

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 769% $35

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 $216 in Changchun and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changchun pays 92% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Changchun vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $313 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

1 h behind Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.93 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changchun Phuket 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
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

Changchun vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Changchun, 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: $216 in Changchun versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $553 in Changchun versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Changchun versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changchun 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, Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.