Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $762 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Fuzhou
Learn more

Fuzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Fuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fuzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $762 in Fuzhou.

Phuket $1,207
Fuzhou $762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,227 in Fuzhou.

Phuket $2,037
Fuzhou $1,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,692 in Fuzhou.

Phuket $2,867
Fuzhou $1,692

Living in Phuket is roughly 58% more expensive than in Fuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Fuzhou 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.06 ¥20.47

49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$23.06 ¥154

40.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.08 ¥33.98

68.31%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.50 ¥16.74

8.80%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.47 ¥3.12

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.27 ¥1.78

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.86 ¥5.73

201.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.74 ¥11.66

120.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.06 ¥13.81

-15.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.41 ¥9.43

1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.93 ¥6.23

64.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.55 ¥10.39

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$7.65 ¥51.1

150.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.18 ¥14.58

51.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$8.97 ¥60.0

24.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.80 ¥12.07

63.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.32 ¥8.81

27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.68 ¥11.22

36.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.07 ¥7.14

99.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.84 ¥5.63

82.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.01 ¥6.75

34.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.44 ¥2.93

154.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.52 ¥3.49

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.01 ¥20.13

41.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.99 ¥73.5

65.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.72 ¥4.81

141.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.22 ¥8.13

128.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.29 ¥1.93

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$23.66 ¥158

-6.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.52 ¥10.14

91.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.29 ¥1.91

248.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.28 ¥48.68

-47.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.25 ¥8.37

19.20%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

37.56%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$15.6K ¥104.1K

71.59%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$43.17 ¥289

130.18%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$8.53 ¥57.1

32.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$8.94 ¥59.8

94.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$42.27 ¥283

23.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$14.76 ¥98.7

-26.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.38 ¥49.31

2.57%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$209 ¥1,395

167.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$12.1K ¥81.0K

-5.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$39.90 ¥267

57.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$29.42 ¥197

-2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$90.5 ¥605

6.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$86.9 ¥581

1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$458 ¥3,060

59.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$250 ¥1,672

83.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,038 ¥6,939

101.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$514 ¥3,438

137.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,514 ¥30.2K

-23.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,346 ¥15.7K

6.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,006 ¥6,728

-51.00%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Fuzhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Fuzhou

$250 32.8% 45.6% $210

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Fuzhou

$175 23% 34.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Fuzhou

$61 8% 52.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Fuzhou

$111 14.6% 10.5% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Fuzhou

$80 10.6% 33.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Fuzhou

$57 7.5% 15.4% $10

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Fuzhou

$28 3.6% 28.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $458 in Fuzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fuzhou pays 104% 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 Fuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $175 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Fuzhou

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,291,268

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Phuket Fuzhou 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Fuzhou

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 Fuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Fuzhou. 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 $458 in Fuzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fuzhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 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 $762 in Fuzhou – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Fuzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fuzhou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $762 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fuzhou hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Fuzhou 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 Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.