Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Changde

For one person, living is cheaper in Changde: $654 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Changde
Learn more

Changde Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Changde

🇨🇳 China

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Changde

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 Changde actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $654 in Changde, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Changde $654

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,126 in Changde, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Changde $1,126

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,599 in Changde, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Changde $1,599

Phuket costs about 95% more than Changde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Changde are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Changde 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.18 ¥14.54

105.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$18.34 ¥122

76.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.06 ¥33.67

74.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.30 ¥15.30

23.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.43 ¥2.89

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.25 ¥1.65

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.23 ¥8.21

108.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.97 ¥13.10

86.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.54 ¥10.24

7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.30 ¥15.34

-36.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.94 ¥6.22

59.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.74 ¥11.57

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.85 ¥85.6

48.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.05 ¥26.93

-18.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.60 ¥77.2

-5.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.62 ¥10.80

80.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.16 ¥7.75

45.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.13 ¥7.55

99.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.87 ¥5.80

139.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.59 ¥3.91

155.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.72 ¥4.79

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.38 ¥2.55

181.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.49 ¥3.26

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.91 ¥19.38

44.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$12.45 ¥82.8

50.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.05 ¥6.97

73.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$0.79 ¥5.24

259.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.31 ¥2.08

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$18.31 ¥122

209.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.22 ¥8.15

147.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.31 ¥2.07

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$4.48 ¥29.78

-17.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.31 ¥8.71

12.21%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.3K ¥128.2K

38.99%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$17.4K ¥116.0K

53.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$57.9 ¥385

66.47%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.34 ¥62.2

20.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.28 ¥75.1

49.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$41.58 ¥277

61.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$15.20 ¥101

-29.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.84 ¥38.89

28.42%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$333 ¥2,213

43.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$16.5K ¥110.1K

-31.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$82.7 ¥550

-24.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$34.87 ¥232

-18.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$87.9 ¥585

7.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$59.2 ¥394

44.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$133 ¥885

438.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$98.5 ¥656

398.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$597 ¥3,970

223.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$367 ¥2,442

289.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,533 ¥23.5K

18.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,951 ¥13.0K

56.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$764 ¥5,087

-34.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Changde: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Changde

$99 15.1% 79.9% $392

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Changde

$209 32% 21.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Changde

$79 12% 36.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Changde

$119 18.2% 2.3% $2.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Changde

$73 11.2% 40% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Changde

$53 8.2% 35.2% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Changde

$22 3.4% 68.4% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $133 in Changde. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 52% higher in Changde, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $18 in Changde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $209 – making Changde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Changde

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

16:17 4:17 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,717,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Changde 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Changde

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 Changde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 95% more than Changde, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $981 in Changde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Changde, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $18 in Changde. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $654 in Changde. That makes Changde about 49% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Changde, where all-in costs run around $654, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Changde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Changde is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.