Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chaozhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chaozhou

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $626 in Chaozhou.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $994 in Chaozhou.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,361 in Chaozhou.

Living in Phuket is roughly 97% more expensive than Chaozhou, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Chaozhou 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.12 ¥14.55

118.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$23.14 ¥158

102.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$3.39 ¥23.21

160.77%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$1.37 ¥9.36

118.98%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.47 ¥3.19

57.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.27 ¥1.84

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.12 ¥7.68

117.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.76 ¥18.87

30.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.78 ¥12.18

26.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.41 ¥9.69

30.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.72 ¥4.94

211.11%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.03 ¥7.04

125.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$8.76 ¥60.0

124.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.34 ¥16.01

55.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$10.93 ¥74.9

19.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.12 ¥14.50

59.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$0.81 ¥5.55

102.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$0.88 ¥6.02

173.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.70 ¥11.62

19.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.59 ¥4.03

164.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.43 ¥2.98

248.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.44 ¥3.00

131.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.27 ¥1.84

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.73 ¥18.68

63.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$11.08 ¥75.9

70.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.72 ¥4.94

147.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.14 ¥7.81

141.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.29 ¥2.00

382.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$16.82 ¥115

-31.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.92 ¥6.30

239.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.26 ¥1.77

284.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$6.60 ¥45.20

113.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.09 ¥7.43

23.85%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$16.3K ¥111.4K

67.19%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$17.8K ¥122.1K

84.77%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$38.52 ¥264

224.45%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$4.10 ¥28.10

230.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$11.58 ¥79.3

59.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$42.01 ¥288

46.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$13.73 ¥94.1

22.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$6.02 ¥41.21

52.66%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$463 ¥3,174

50.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$17.2K ¥117.6K

-9.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$12.15 ¥83.2

375.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$26.04 ¥178

35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$84.1 ¥576

34.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$55.0 ¥377

57.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$282 ¥1,931

118.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$190 ¥1,300

135.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$583 ¥3,992

251.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$366 ¥2,507

307.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$2,794 ¥19.1K

35.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,976 ¥13.5K

34.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$468 ¥3,206

11.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.56

49.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $282 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $173 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Chaozhou differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,232 vs $626 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Phuket pays 12% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $616 in Phuket versus $282 in Chaozhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $463 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $626 in Chaozhou versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.