Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Chuzhou, China
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Chuzhou
🇨🇳 China
$685
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $685 in Chuzhou, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Chuzhou $685

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,120 in Chuzhou, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Chuzhou $1,120

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,555 in Chuzhou, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Chuzhou $1,555

Phuket costs about 87% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Chuzhou are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Chuzhou 50% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.28 ¥15.15
96.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$22.28 ¥148
45.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$4.76 ¥31.65
85.08%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$2.30 ¥15.31
23.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.53 ¥3.54
64.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.27 ¥1.80
81.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$0.44 ¥2.90
481.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$1.54 ¥10.23
138.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.54 ¥10.28
7.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$2.07 ¥13.75
-29.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$0.84 ¥5.57
78.57%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.32 ¥8.80
58.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$10.57 ¥70.3
80.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.03 ¥20.15
8.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$9.07 ¥60.4
20.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$2.09 ¥13.88
40.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.26 ¥8.36
34.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.71 ¥11.39
31.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.07 ¥7.15
94.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.90 ¥5.96
67.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$0.97 ¥6.47
42.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$0.89 ¥5.92
20.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.52 ¥3.46
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.83 ¥25.51
9.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$13.28 ¥88.4
41.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$0.95 ¥6.31
91.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.55 ¥10.34
83.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$0.31 ¥2.08
367.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$19.20 ¥128
195.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.75 ¥11.66
72.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$0.41 ¥2.75
148.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$9.09 ¥60.5
-59.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.32 ¥8.77
11.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$19.3K ¥128.5K
38.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$17.4K ¥115.5K
53.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$55.5 ¥369
73.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$7.88 ¥52.4
42.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$7.28 ¥48.43
131.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$43.09 ¥287
56.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$16.05 ¥107
-33.15%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$6.07 ¥40.41
23.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$441 ¥2,932
8.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$22.8K ¥151.9K
-50.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$43.42 ¥289
43.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$34.55 ¥230
-17.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$64.8 ¥431
45.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$87.6 ¥583
-2.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$253 ¥1,683
183.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$165 ¥1,095
198.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$606 ¥4,032
218.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$376 ¥2,503
280.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$3,018 ¥20.1K
38.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$1,996 ¥13.3K
52.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Chuzhou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.42
62.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Chuzhou
$165 66.5% $326
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Chuzhou
$198 25.7% $68
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Chuzhou
$71 43.2% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Chuzhou
$104 14.9% $18
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Chuzhou
$69 43.7% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Chuzhou
$55 32.8% $27
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Chuzhou
$24 65.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $253 in Chuzhou. 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 $32 in Phuket versus $22 in Chuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $198 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇳 Chuzhou
🕒 Local time
03:27 3:27 AM
04:27 4:27 AM
1 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
3,987,054
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Chuzhou 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Chuzhou

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 Chuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Chuzhou?
Phuket costs about 87% more than Chuzhou, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Chuzhou?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,027 in Chuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Chuzhou?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $716 in Phuket.
How do dining costs compare in Phuket and in Chuzhou?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $22 in Chuzhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Chuzhou?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $685 in Chuzhou. That makes Chuzhou about 46% cheaper.
Can you live on $800/month in Phuket or in Chuzhou?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Chuzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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