Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunshan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $714 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 Kunshan
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Kunshan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kunshan

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Kunshan vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Kunshan $714
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,137 per month in Kunshan vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Kunshan $1,137
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,560 per month in Kunshan vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Kunshan $1,560
Phuket $2,867

Kunshan is about 41% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kunshan and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kunshan 47% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.46

$4.58 ฿153

-39.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.65 ¥145

$32.48 ฿1,086

-33.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$8.55 ฿286

-41.64%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ¥20.60

$2.72 ฿91.0

13.24%

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

$0.46 ¥3.10

$0.94 ฿31.25

-51.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.49 ฿16.39

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.18

$2.59 ฿86.6

-64.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.32

$3.83 ฿128

-44.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.44

$1.74 ฿58.1

6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$1.43 ฿47.82

11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.53 ฿51.0

-38.56%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.65

$2.17 ฿72.7

-26.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 ¥86.5

$19.15 ฿640

-32.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.14 ¥21.02

$3.30 ฿110

-4.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 ¥68.1

$11.14 ฿372

-8.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$2.95 ฿98.5

-38.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.68 ฿56.1

-25.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$2.30 ฿76.8

-35.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$2.13 ฿71.3

-46.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.89

$1.53 ฿51.1

-52.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.36 ฿45.55

-28.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.79

$1.12 ฿37.44

-49.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.44

$0.55 ฿18.24

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ¥20.68

$4.26 ฿142

-27.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$18.19 ฿608

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$1.74 ฿58.2

-57.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$2.79 ฿93.3

-40.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$2.22 ฿74.1

-86.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.02 ¥114

$22.06 ฿737

-22.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 ¥9.37

$2.91 ฿97.3

-51.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$1.01 ฿33.79

-67.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.49 ¥43.38

$3.83 ฿128

69.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.58

$1.49 ฿49.85

-24.16%

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

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-26.89%

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

$16.9K ¥113.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-36.63%

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

$45.06 ¥301

$99.4 ฿3,321

-54.65%

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

$9.74 ¥65.1

$11.28 ฿377

-13.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.75 ¥78.5

$17.36 ฿580

-32.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.03 ¥281

$52.3 ฿1,747

-19.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 ¥92.9

$10.85 ฿362

28.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.04

$7.57 ฿253

-20.87%

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

$337 ¥2,252

$558 ฿18.7K

-39.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

47.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.07 ¥288

$62.9 ฿2,102

-31.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.24 ¥202

$28.58 ฿955

5.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ¥473

$96.1 ฿3,213

-26.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ¥477

$88.1 ฿2,943

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ¥1,834

$729 ฿24.4K

-62.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥1,271

$460 ฿15.4K

-58.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 ¥3,948

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-71.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 ¥2,455

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-69.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,017 ¥20.2K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-12.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,058 ¥13.8K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-17.30%

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 Kunshan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kunshan

$199 27.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 34.5% $69

Accommodation & Living

Kunshan

$190 26.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 142% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Kunshan

$97 13.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 28% $27

Eating Out

Kunshan

$86 12%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 41.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kunshan

$67 9.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 92.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Kunshan

$54 7.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 24.8% $13

Getting Around

Kunshan

$21 3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 83.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Kunshan versus $729 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 $22.00 in Kunshan versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $268 – making Kunshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Kunshan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

11:26 11:26 AM

1 h behind Kunshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,092,496

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

Kunshan Phuket 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kunshan
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

Kunshan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,070 per month in Kunshan and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kunshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Kunshan and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $714 in Kunshan and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kunshan, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Kunshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kunshan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.