Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quanzhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quanzhou

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $783 in Quanzhou.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,132 in Quanzhou.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,481 in Quanzhou.

Living in Phuket is roughly 57% more expensive than Quanzhou, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Quanzhou 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.12 ¥14.49

118.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$23.35 ¥160

100.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$5.64 ¥38.62

56.74%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.73 ¥18.69

9.89%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.48 ¥3.29

54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.27 ¥1.83

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.40 ¥9.59

74.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.97 ¥20.35

21.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.42 ¥9.72

59.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.71 ¥4.88

159.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.75 ¥5.17

198.67%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.18 ¥8.07

96.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$10.96 ¥75.1

79.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.39 ¥16.37

52.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$11.29 ¥77.4

16.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.46 ¥16.84

37.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.08 ¥7.40

51.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.52 ¥10.40

58.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.85 ¥12.65

9.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.91 ¥6.23

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.64 ¥11.21

-8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.82 ¥5.65

24.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.52 ¥3.53

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.75 ¥18.86

61.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$7.45 ¥51.0

153.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.80 ¥5.48

122.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.58 ¥10.81

74.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.27 ¥1.84

418.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$33.15 ¥227

-65.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.14 ¥7.80

173.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.26 ¥1.77

284.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$6.86 ¥47.02

105.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.13 ¥7.72

19.47%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$15.3K ¥104.5K

78.14%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$13.7K ¥93.6K

140.82%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$39.48 ¥270

216.57%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$4.06 ¥27.79

234.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$9.93 ¥68.0

86.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$55.3 ¥379

11.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$28.31 ¥194

-40.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$5.63 ¥38.56

63.23%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$114 ¥784

509.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$21.1K ¥144.5K

-26.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$28.13 ¥193

105.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$26.55 ¥182

32.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$86.6 ¥593

30.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$80.9 ¥554

6.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$241 ¥1,648

155.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$251 ¥1,719

77.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$423 ¥2,900

383.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$296 ¥2,026

404.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$2,880 ¥19.7K

31.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,972 ¥13.5K

34.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$750 ¥5,141

-30.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.56

49.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Quanzhou: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $241 in Quanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quanzhou pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Quanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $179 per month, with Quanzhou cheaper across the board.

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 Quanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Quanzhou earns 43% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $241 in Quanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $114 in Quanzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $783 in Quanzhou versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quanzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Quanzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quanzhou 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 Quanzhou 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 Quanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.