Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jinzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinzhou: $744 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Jinzhou
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Jinzhou Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Jinzhou

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jinzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $744 in Jinzhou.

Phuket $1,207
Jinzhou $744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,182 in Jinzhou.

Phuket $2,037
Jinzhou $1,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,620 in Jinzhou.

Phuket $2,867
Jinzhou $1,620

Living in Phuket is roughly 62% more expensive than in Jinzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Jinzhou 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$2.97 ¥19.85

54.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,091

$22.15 ¥148

46.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$5.11 ¥34.15

67.32%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.81 ¥18.81

-3.20%

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

$0.94 ฿31.41

$0.47 ¥3.16

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.48

$0.31 ¥2.09

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿87.0

$1.09 ¥7.32

137.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.06 ¥13.75

85.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.78 ¥11.88

-2.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.07

$1.60 ¥10.68

-10.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$1.02 ¥6.80

50.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.1

$1.67 ¥11.20

29.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

$13.84 ¥92.6

38.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.75 ¥25.09

-12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$12.09 ¥80.9

-7.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿99.0

$1.83 ¥12.25

61.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.31 ¥8.78

28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.2

$1.67 ¥11.17

37.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$1.28 ¥8.58

66.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.4

$0.71 ¥4.72

115.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.78

$0.95 ¥6.33

43.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.63

$0.60 ¥4.03

86.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.33

$0.52 ¥3.47

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$3.35 ¥22.40

27.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$10.49 ¥70.2

73.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$0.81 ¥5.43

114.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.8

$1.41 ¥9.44

97.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

$0.29 ¥1.93

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿741

$17.28 ¥116

27.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.8

$1.47 ¥9.80

97.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.97

$0.33 ¥2.18

206.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿129

$6.27 ¥41.94

-38.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.26 ¥8.46

18.25%

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

$26.7K ฿896.2K

$20.8K ¥139.2K

28.15%

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

$26.7K ฿897.2K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

37.56%

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

$99.4 ฿3,338

$61.6 ¥412

61.34%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$9.25 ¥61.8

21.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

$10.62 ¥71.0

63.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,756

$37.37 ¥250

39.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

$13.38 ¥89.5

-18.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$5.58 ¥37.32

35.66%

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

$558 ฿18.8K

$425 ¥2,843

31.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.9K

$15.7K ¥105.0K

-26.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,112

$42.31 ¥283

48.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿960

$30.77 ¥206

-7.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,229

$80.1 ¥535

20.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,958

$64.9 ¥434

35.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$266 ¥1,776

174.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.5K

$198 ¥1,321

132.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.4K

$642 ¥4,293

226.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.1K

$387 ¥2,585

216.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.2K

$3,375 ¥22.6K

2.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.6K

$2,212 ¥14.8K

12.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.6K

$448 ¥2,996

10.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.36

65.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Jinzhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Jinzhou

$198 26.5% 57% $262

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Jinzhou

$212 28.4% 20.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Jinzhou

$81 10.9% 36.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Jinzhou

$98 13.2% 20.9% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Jinzhou

$86 11.5% 29.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Jinzhou

$49 6.5% 28% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Jinzhou

$22 2.9% 44.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $266 in Jinzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 10% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Jinzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $212 per month, with Jinzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Jinzhou

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

18:24 6:24 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,703,853

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Jinzhou 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jinzhou

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 Jinzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Phuket, 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: $729 in Phuket versus $266 in Jinzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jinzhou – a meal for two runs $22.00 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 $744 in Jinzhou – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $744 in Jinzhou versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jinzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Jinzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jinzhou 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 Jinzhou 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 Jinzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.