Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Changchun

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Changchun

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Changchun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Phuket $1,208
Changchun $904

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

Phuket $2,027
Changchun $1,324

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

Phuket $2,845
Changchun $1,743

Living in Phuket is roughly 34% more expensive than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$3.02 ¥20.17

45.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$22.15 ¥148

45.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$5.19 ¥34.59

68.79%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.40 ¥15.98

17.92%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$0.47 ¥3.14

91.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.31 ¥2.09

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.21 ¥8.10

110.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$1.91 ¥12.71

100.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.90 ¥12.67

-8.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$1.22 ¥8.14

20.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$1.44 ¥9.63

4.86%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.81 ¥12.09

19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$34.55 ¥230

-42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$5.71 ¥38.06

-41.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$10.36 ¥69.1

7.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$1.72 ¥11.48

65.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.45 ¥9.69

17.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.80 ¥12.02

21.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$1.89 ¥12.63

8.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.89 ¥5.94

62.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$0.58 ¥3.88

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$1.47 ¥9.77

-65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$3.78 ¥25.21

12.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$21.06 ¥140

-11.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$0.92 ¥6.11

93.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.10 ¥7.35

159.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.44 ¥2.91

413.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$1.24 ¥8.24

142.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.31 ¥2.08

241.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$3.02 ¥20.13

27.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.28 ¥8.56

13.28%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

36.12%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

51.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$76.7 ¥511

25.71%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$4.43 ¥29.56

149.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$14.76 ¥98.4

16.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$37.44 ¥250

39.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$4.13 ¥27.52

170.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$6.64 ¥44.31

17.62%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$553 ¥3,692

0.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$21.9K ¥145.8K

-47.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$73.7 ¥492

-12.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$44.44 ¥296

-35.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$60.2 ¥401

58.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$69.7 ¥465

26.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$216 ¥1,443

240.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$246 ¥1,644

87.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$576 ¥3,839

263.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$308 ¥2,052

290.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$1,668 ¥11.1K

109.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$1,006 ¥6,711

150.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$961 ¥6,408

-47.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.37

27.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Changchun: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Changchun

$246 27.3% 46.7% $216

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Changchun

$313 * 34.6% 16.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Changchun

$96 10.6% 23% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Changchun

$112 12.4% 10.2% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Changchun

$82 9% 32.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Changchun

$51 5.6% 25.2% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Changchun

$4.5 * 0.5% 88.5% $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 $737 in Phuket and $216 in Changchun. 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Changchun. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $313, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,066,906

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Changchun 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Changchun

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

Phuket vs Changchun: 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.

On paper, salaries run 92% lower in Changchun. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $216 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $553 in Changchun. 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, Phuket and Changchun 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.