Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quzhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quzhou

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,247 in Phuket versus $695 in Quzhou.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $1,079 in Quzhou.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Phuket versus $1,463 in Quzhou.

Living in Phuket is roughly 79% more expensive than Quzhou, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 7% lower, Quzhou 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$2.85 ¥19.48

61.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,501

$14.05 ¥96.0

233.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿279

$4.94 ¥33.76

76.11%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.7

$2.55 ¥17.43

14.51%

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

$0.68 ฿21.92

$0.36 ¥2.48

88.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.70

$0.22 ¥1.50

81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.4

$0.68 ¥4.64

269.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$1.64 ¥11.23

131.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.3

$1.43 ¥9.75

51.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.3

$1.93 ¥13.16

-2.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.2

$0.72 ¥4.92

200.00%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.2

$1.70 ¥11.60

30.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿627

$13.27 ¥90.6

47.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$2.46 ¥16.78

54.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿430

$9.74 ¥66.5

37.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$2.01 ¥13.73

62.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.7

$1.42 ¥9.70

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿74.0

$1.67 ¥11.38

38.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿66.0

$1.25 ¥8.54

64.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$0.72 ¥4.89

123.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.26

$0.68 ¥4.62

111.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.01

$0.53 ¥3.63

94.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.39

$0.41 ¥2.82

17.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$4.29 ¥29.31

4.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿615

$8.07 ¥55.1

137.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.4

$0.35 ¥2.41

420.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.2

$0.67 ¥4.58

301.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.16

$0.27 ¥1.84

411.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿377

$16.65 ¥114

-29.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.6

$1.12 ¥7.65

177.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.18

$0.42 ¥2.87

138.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿441

$6.19 ¥42.30

121.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.61

$1.14 ¥7.77

14.04%

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

$27.4K ฿877.0K

$19.1K ¥130.6K

43.11%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$17.2K ¥117.8K

91.50%

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

$125 ฿4,004

$44.57 ¥304

180.19%

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

$13.74 ฿440

$11.43 ¥78.1

20.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿597

$11.50 ¥78.6

61.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,941

$42.38 ¥289

42.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿550

$14.18 ¥96.8

20.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿289

$5.62 ¥38.39

60.32%

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

$698 ฿22.4K

$446 ¥3,047

56.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿516.5K

$16.8K ¥115.1K

-4.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,898

$28.20 ¥193

109.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,118

$28.20 ¥193

23.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,662

$72.6 ¥496

57.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,751

$92.9 ¥634

-7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

$281 ¥1,919

120.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$184 ¥1,259

137.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.5K

$586 ¥4,003

254.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.4K

$365 ¥2,490

313.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.7K

$3,399 ¥23.2K

10.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.4K

$2,007 ¥13.7K

34.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

$659 ¥4,499

-19.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.5

52.29%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Quzhou: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $281 in Quzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quzhou pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Phuket vs $14 in Quzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $186 per month, with Quzhou 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 Quzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quzhou is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Quzhou earns 25% 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: $619 in Phuket versus $281 in Quzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $446 in Quzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $695 in Quzhou versus $1,247 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Quzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quzhou 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 Quzhou 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 Quzhou 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.