Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kunshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $714 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Kunshan
Learn more

Kunshan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Kunshan

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kunshan

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $714 in Kunshan, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Kunshan $714

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,137 in Kunshan, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Kunshan $1,137

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,560 in Kunshan, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Kunshan $1,560

Phuket costs about 69% more than Kunshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kunshan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Kunshan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.76 ¥18.46

65.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$21.65 ¥145

50.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.99 ¥33.35

71.34%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.08 ¥20.60

-11.69%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.46 ¥3.10

104.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.27 ¥1.80

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.92 ¥6.18

181.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.14 ¥14.32

78.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.86 ¥12.44

-6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.59 ¥10.63

-10.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.94 ¥6.29

62.77%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.59 ¥10.65

36.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.94 ¥86.5

47.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.14 ¥21.02

5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.18 ¥68.1

9.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.81 ¥12.09

62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.25 ¥8.38

34.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.49 ¥9.99

54.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.14 ¥7.64

86.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.73 ¥4.89

109.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.97 ¥6.50

40.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.57 ¥3.79

96.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.51 ¥3.44

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.09 ¥20.68

37.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.70 ¥71.5

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.74 ¥4.93

135.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.65 ¥11.00

69.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.29 ¥1.96

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$17.02 ¥114

29.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.40 ¥9.37

107.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.33 ¥2.20

206.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.49 ¥43.38

-40.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.13 ¥7.58

31.86%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

36.79%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$16.9K ¥113.2K

57.79%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$45.06 ¥301

120.53%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$9.74 ¥65.1

15.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.75 ¥78.5

47.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$42.03 ¥281

24.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.90 ¥92.9

-21.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.99 ¥40.04

26.38%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$337 ¥2,252

65.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

-31.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$43.07 ¥288

45.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$30.24 ¥202

-5.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$70.7 ¥473

35.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$71.3 ¥477

23.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$274 ¥1,834

165.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$190 ¥1,271

141.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$591 ¥3,948

254.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$367 ¥2,455

232.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,017 ¥20.2K

14.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,058 ¥13.8K

20.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kunshan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Kunshan

$190 26.7% 58.7% $270

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Kunshan

$199 27.9% 25.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Kunshan

$67 9.3% 48% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kunshan

$97 13.6% 21.9% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Kunshan

$86 12% 29.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Kunshan

$54 7.6% 19.9% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Kunshan

$21 3% 45.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $274 in Kunshan. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $22.00 in Kunshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $199 – making Kunshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Kunshan

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,092,496

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Phuket Kunshan 3,510 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kunshan

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 Kunshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,070 in Kunshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kunshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $22.00 in Kunshan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $714 in Kunshan. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kunshan, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Kunshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kunshan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kunshan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.