Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chenzhou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Chenzhou vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Chenzhou $721
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Chenzhou vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,197
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,674 per month in Chenzhou vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,674
Phuket $3,154

Chenzhou is about 44% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chenzhou and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Chenzhou 47% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.15

$4.47 ฿151

-32.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.13 ¥147

$32.41 ฿1,094

-31.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.33

$8.81 ฿297

-44.84%

Cappuccino

$1.54 ¥10.24

$2.83 ฿95.5

-45.58%

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

$0.51 ¥3.41

$0.87 ฿29.43

-41.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.49 ฿16.67

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ¥8.58

$2.56 ฿86.4

-49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.59

$3.68 ฿124

-48.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.09

$1.66 ฿56.0

18.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.83

$1.46 ฿49.35

63.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.23

$1.50 ฿50.6

-47.33%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.09 ฿70.5

-17.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 ¥87.5

$19.07 ฿644

-31.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ¥27.47

$3.30 ฿111

25.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.0

$10.91 ฿368

6.05%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$2.93 ฿99.0

-79.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.82

$1.69 ฿57.1

-30.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$2.25 ฿75.8

-67.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.89

$2.08 ฿70.1

-42.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.49

$1.51 ฿51.0

-35.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.24

$1.38 ฿46.56

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$1.07 ฿35.99

-42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.23

$0.52 ฿17.52

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ¥20.08

$4.20 ฿142

-28.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ¥84.6

$18.79 ฿634

-32.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$1.82 ฿61.5

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.45

$2.84 ฿95.9

-44.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$1.45 ฿49.03

-78.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.40 ¥103

$56.7 ฿1,913

-72.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.09

$3.02 ฿102

-49.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.02 ฿34.36

-71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 ¥30.59

$3.69 ฿125

24.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$1.47 ฿49.81

-12.24%

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

$19.3K ¥128.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-27.97%

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

$17.4K ¥115.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-34.90%

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

$56.3 ¥375

$96.4 ฿3,254

-41.55%

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

$8.94 ¥59.5

$11.26 ฿380

-20.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.27 ¥75.0

$16.85 ฿569

-33.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 ¥283

$67.2 ฿2,270

-36.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.67 ¥97.6

$10.73 ฿362

36.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.13

$7.50 ฿253

-13.60%

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

$329 ¥2,188

$476 ฿16.1K

-30.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

49.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 ¥561

$62.4 ฿2,106

35.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 ¥233

$28.41 ฿959

23.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 ¥593

$94.3 ฿3,184

-5.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ¥392

$85.8 ฿2,898

-31.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,061

$716 ฿24.2K

-56.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,086

$491 ฿16.6K

-66.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,885

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-69.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,753

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-71.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,531 ¥23.5K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-15.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-37.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.57

-37.88%

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

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chenzhou

$215 29.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.8% $51

Accommodation & Living

Chenzhou

$163 22.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 201% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Chenzhou

$120 16.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.4% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chenzhou

$77 10.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 62.6% $48

Eating Out

Chenzhou

$71 9.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 72.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chenzhou

$56 7.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 48% $27

Getting Around

Chenzhou

$20 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 260% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Chenzhou versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chenzhou versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $266 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

22:27 10:27 PM

1 h behind Chenzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,667,134

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chenzhou Phuket 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chenzhou
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

Chenzhou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $721 in Chenzhou, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 77% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,081 per month in Chenzhou and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Chenzhou and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chenzhou, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Chenzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chenzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 77% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.