Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Changshu

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
Learn more

Changshu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Changshu

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

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

Phuket $1,207
Changshu $712

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

Phuket $2,037
Changshu $1,128

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

Phuket $2,867
Changshu $1,544

Living in Phuket is roughly 70% more expensive than in Changshu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.83 ¥18.91

61.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$21.95 ¥147

47.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.91 ¥32.85

74.13%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.93 ¥19.60

-7.17%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.46 ¥3.08

104.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.27 ¥1.79

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.87 ¥5.82

197.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.04 ¥13.66

87.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.88 ¥12.59

-7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.55 ¥10.38

-7.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.89 ¥5.97

71.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.58 ¥10.58

37.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.80 ¥85.6

49.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.16 ¥21.10

4.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.02 ¥67.0

11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.87 ¥12.49

57.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.25 ¥8.35

34.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.55 ¥10.37

48.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.15 ¥7.70

85.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.70 ¥4.66

118.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.95 ¥6.33

43.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.56 ¥3.72

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.51 ¥3.39

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.22 ¥21.52

32.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.47 ¥70.0

73.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.78 ¥5.22

123.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.57 ¥10.53

77.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.27 ¥1.79

722.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$16.48 ¥110

33.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.42 ¥9.51

104.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.33 ¥2.17

206.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.63 ¥44.35

-42.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.12 ¥7.52

33.04%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

36.44%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$17.2K ¥115.1K

55.15%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$46.01 ¥308

115.97%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$9.96 ¥66.6

13.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.63 ¥77.8

49.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$41.09 ¥275

27.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$14.00 ¥93.6

-22.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.81 ¥38.83

30.29%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$329 ¥2,198

69.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

-31.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$43.18 ¥289

45.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$30.03 ¥201

-4.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$72.2 ¥483

33.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$71.7 ¥479

22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$280 ¥1,870

160.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$192 ¥1,283

139.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$597 ¥3,995

250.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$357 ¥2,385

242.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,988 ¥20.0K

15.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,068 ¥13.8K

20.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Changshu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Changshu

$192 27% 58.3% $268

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Changshu

$198 27.8% 26.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Changshu

$68 9.5% 47.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Changshu

$98 13.7% 21.2% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Changshu

$84 11.8% 30.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Changshu

$53 7.4% 21.8% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Changshu

$21 2.9% 47% $18

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Changshu

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,677,050

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Changshu 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Changshu: 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 $1,811 in Phuket and $1,068 in Changshu 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: $729 in Phuket versus $280 in Changshu. 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 $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $712 in Changshu – 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, Phuket and Changshu 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.