Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jiaozuo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiaozuo: $674 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Jiaozuo
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Jiaozuo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Jiaozuo

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jiaozuo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $674 in Jiaozuo.

Phuket $1,208
Jiaozuo $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,059 in Jiaozuo.

Phuket $2,027
Jiaozuo $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,445 in Jiaozuo.

Phuket $2,845
Jiaozuo $1,445

Living in Phuket is roughly 79% more expensive than in Jiaozuo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Jiaozuo 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$1.82 ¥12.16

141.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$16.41 ¥110

96.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.59 ¥30.70

90.85%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.48 ¥16.57

14.11%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.42 ¥2.78

114.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.26 ¥1.72

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.85 ¥5.71

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.68 ¥11.22

127.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.68 ¥11.26

2.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.58 ¥10.60

-6.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.69 ¥4.60

118.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$0.96 ¥6.40

126.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.43 ¥56.4

133.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.41 ¥16.11

38.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.26 ¥55.2

35.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.18 ¥7.87

141.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.98 ¥6.59

73.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.63 ¥4.20

247.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.57 ¥3.83

259.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.53 ¥3.55

173.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.47 ¥3.14

193.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.40 ¥2.66

167.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.73 ¥4.86

-30.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.54 ¥17.00

67.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.79 ¥65.5

89.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.68 ¥4.58

161.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.02 ¥13.50

41.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.31 ¥2.08

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$17.86 ¥119

23.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.53 ¥10.25

96.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.31 ¥2.10

241.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$3.66 ¥24.48

5.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.98 ¥6.53

47.96%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.2K ¥128.3K

37.17%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.6K ¥117.4K

53.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$60.1 ¥402

60.42%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$7.17 ¥47.97

53.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$9.16 ¥61.3

87.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$57.7 ¥386

-9.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.04 ¥101

-25.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$3.94 ¥26.37

98.22%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$177 ¥1,182

214.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$21.6K ¥144.2K

-46.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.93 ¥294

46.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$34.16 ¥228

-16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$73.3 ¥490

30.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$65.3 ¥437

34.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$296 ¥1,982

148.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$185 ¥1,238

149.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$622 ¥4,158

236.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$380 ¥2,541

215.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,585 ¥17.3K

34.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,965 ¥13.1K

28.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$566 ¥3,786

-11.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.29

69.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jiaozuo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Jiaozuo

$185 27.5% 60% $277

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Jiaozuo

$158 23.5% 41% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Jiaozuo

$76 11.3% 38.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Jiaozuo

$97 14.5% 21.6% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Jiaozuo

$68 10.2% 43.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Jiaozuo

$66 9.7% 3.2% $2.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Jiaozuo

$22 3.3% 43.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jiaozuo pays 13% 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 $16.00 in Jiaozuo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $158 per month, with Jiaozuo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Jiaozuo

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,539,860

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Jiaozuo 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jiaozuo

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 Jiaozuo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiaozuo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Jiaozuo. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $296 in Jiaozuo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $177 in Jiaozuo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $674 in Jiaozuo versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jiaozuo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Jiaozuo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo 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 Jiaozuo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.