Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changshu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $712 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
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Changshu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $712 in Changshu versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Changshu $712
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,128 in Changshu versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Changshu $1,128
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,544 in Changshu versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Changshu $1,544
Phuket $2,867

Living in Changshu costs roughly 41% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changshu 47% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ¥18.91

$4.58 ฿153

-38.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.95 ¥147

$32.48 ฿1,086

-32.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.85

$8.55 ฿286

-42.57%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ¥19.60

$2.72 ฿91.0

7.72%

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

$0.46 ¥3.08

$0.94 ฿31.25

-51.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.49 ฿16.39

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.82

$2.59 ฿86.6

-66.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.66

$3.83 ฿128

-46.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.59

$1.74 ฿58.1

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.43 ฿47.82

8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.97

$1.53 ฿51.0

-41.83%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.58

$2.17 ฿72.7

-27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.6

$19.15 ฿640

-33.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.10

$3.30 ฿110

-4.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ¥67.0

$11.14 ฿372

-10.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$2.95 ฿98.5

-36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$1.68 ฿56.1

-25.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$2.30 ฿76.8

-32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.70

$2.13 ฿71.3

-46.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.66

$1.53 ฿51.1

-54.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$1.36 ฿45.55

-30.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$1.12 ฿37.44

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.55 ฿18.24

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 ¥21.52

$4.26 ฿142

-24.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.47 ¥70.0

$18.19 ฿608

-42.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.74 ฿58.2

-55.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.53

$2.79 ฿93.3

-43.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$2.22 ฿74.1

-87.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.48 ¥110

$22.06 ฿737

-25.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.51

$2.91 ฿97.3

-51.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.17

$1.01 ฿33.79

-67.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ¥44.35

$3.83 ฿128

73.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥7.52

$1.49 ฿49.85

-24.83%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-26.71%

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

$17.2K ¥115.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-35.55%

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

$46.01 ¥308

$99.4 ฿3,321

-53.70%

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

$9.96 ¥66.6

$11.28 ฿377

-11.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.63 ¥77.8

$17.36 ฿580

-33.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 ¥275

$52.3 ฿1,747

-21.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.00 ¥93.6

$10.85 ฿362

29.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.83

$7.57 ฿253

-23.25%

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

$329 ¥2,198

$558 ฿18.7K

-41.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

46.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.18 ¥289

$62.9 ฿2,102

-31.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.03 ¥201

$28.58 ฿955

5.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ¥483

$96.1 ฿3,213

-24.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 ¥479

$88.1 ฿2,943

-18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ¥1,870

$729 ฿24.4K

-61.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,283

$460 ฿15.4K

-58.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 ¥3,995

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-71.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ¥2,385

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-70.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ¥20.0K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-13.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 ¥13.8K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-16.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.57

-30.16%

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

Last update for Changshu: 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

Changshu

$198 27.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 35.4% $70

Accommodation & Living

Changshu

$192 27%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 140% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Changshu

$98 13.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 27% $26

Eating Out

Changshu

$84 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 44.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changshu

$68 9.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 89.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Changshu

$53 7.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 27.9% $15

Getting Around

Changshu

$21 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 88.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Changshu and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Changshu vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $268 per month, with Changshu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changshu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

11:26 11:26 AM

1 h behind Changshu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,677,050

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changshu Phuket 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Changshu
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

Changshu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changshu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,068 in Changshu and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $280 in Changshu versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changshu – 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.

All in, you'll spend $712 per month in Changshu versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $712 in Changshu versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changshu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Changshu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changshu 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, Changshu 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 Changshu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.