Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Foshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Foshan
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Foshan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Foshan

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Foshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $777 in Foshan.

Phuket $1,207
Foshan $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,242 in Foshan.

Phuket $2,037
Foshan $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,708 in Foshan.

Phuket $2,867
Foshan $1,708

Living in Phuket is roughly 55% more expensive than in Foshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Foshan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.78 ¥25.26

21.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$22.79 ¥152

42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.11 ¥34.19

67.32%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.07 ¥20.50

-11.40%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.52 ¥3.49

80.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.31 ¥2.09

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.22 ¥8.17

112.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.89 ¥12.61

102.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.66 ¥11.11

4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.12 ¥7.48

27.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.92 ¥6.16

66.30%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.70 ¥11.38

27.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$16.68 ¥112

14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.92 ¥26.18

-15.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.69 ¥71.5

4.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.01 ¥20.16

-1.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.27 ¥8.51

32.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.90 ¥12.69

21.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.63 ¥10.91

30.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.09 ¥7.27

40.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.95 ¥6.38

43.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.64 ¥4.26

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.50 ¥3.36

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.23 ¥14.89

91.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.23 ¥68.4

77.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.93 ¥6.24

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.51 ¥10.13

84.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.31 ¥2.08

616.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$10.62 ¥71.0

107.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.52 ¥10.18

91.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.47 ¥3.15

114.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.81 ¥58.9

-56.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.22 ¥8.19

22.13%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$21.3K ¥142.3K

25.36%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$16.2K ¥108.3K

64.93%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$84.5 ¥565

17.57%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$7.92 ¥53.0

42.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$15.69 ¥105

10.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$71.4 ¥477

-26.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$23.83 ¥159

-54.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.31 ¥35.50

42.56%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$457 ¥3,054

22.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$23.3K ¥155.8K

-50.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$42.21 ¥282

48.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$18.76 ¥125

52.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$62.1 ¥415

54.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$91.8 ¥614

-4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$304 ¥2,031

140.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$159 ¥1,061

189.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$596 ¥3,982

251.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$341 ¥2,279

258.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,329 ¥28.9K

-20.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,864 ¥12.5K

33.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$802 ¥5,362

-38.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.83

45.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Foshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Foshan

$159 20.4% 65.5% $301

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Foshan

$220 28.4% 17.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Foshan

$108 13.9% 15.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Foshan

$97 12.4% 22% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Foshan

$96 12.3% 21.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Foshan

$82 10.6% 21.6% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Foshan

$16 2% 59.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $304 in Foshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Foshan pays 63% 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 $23.00 in Foshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $220 per month, with Foshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Foshan

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,498,863

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Foshan 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Foshan

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 Foshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Foshan. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $304 in Foshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 108% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $457 in Foshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $777 in Foshan versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Foshan 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 Foshan 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 Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.