Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shaoxing Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shaoxing

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $685 in Shaoxing.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,098 in Shaoxing.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,512 in Shaoxing.

Living in Phuket is roughly 85% more expensive than Shaoxing, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Shaoxing 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$2.77 ¥18.76

69.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$20.61 ¥140

120.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$4.14 ¥28.01

103.62%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$2.74 ¥18.54

6.93%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.45 ¥3.06

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.26 ¥1.78

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.67 ¥4.53

259.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$1.71 ¥11.55

117.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$2.22 ¥15.05

0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$2.05 ¥13.91

-10.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$0.77 ¥5.24

181.82%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.54 ¥10.41

43.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$7.72 ¥52.3

155.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$2.83 ¥19.14

28.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$9.13 ¥61.9

48.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$1.92 ¥13.04

70.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.42 ¥9.59

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.65 ¥11.14

46.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.21 ¥8.17

71.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$0.87 ¥5.89

75.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.95 ¥6.45

55.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$0.81 ¥5.50

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.61 ¥4.10

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.44 ¥23.32

28.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$10.19 ¥69.0

90.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.79 ¥5.37

125.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.55 ¥10.53

74.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.29 ¥1.97

372.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$16.85 ¥114

-32.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.56 ¥10.58

93.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.39 ¥2.62

153.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$8.50 ¥57.6

65.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.14 ¥7.70

19.30%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$17.3K ¥117.5K

62.59%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$14.7K ¥99.3K

124.50%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$42.83 ¥290

184.15%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$11.08 ¥75.1

22.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$10.99 ¥74.4

66.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$41.87 ¥284

43.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$13.96 ¥94.6

22.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$5.46 ¥36.98

59.16%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$408 ¥2,765

69.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$18.4K ¥124.7K

-14.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$42.01 ¥285

41.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$31.12 ¥211

11.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$67.7 ¥458

69.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$66.7 ¥452

24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$280 ¥1,897

118.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$189 ¥1,280

131.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$597 ¥4,045

250.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$355 ¥2,404

325.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$3,194 ¥21.6K

17.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,804 ¥12.2K

44.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$891 ¥6,034

-42.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.87

37.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Shaoxing: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $280 in Shaoxing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shaoxing pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Shaoxing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $190 per month, with Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shaoxing is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 85% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Shaoxing earns 75% 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: $613 in Phuket versus $280 in Shaoxing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $408 in Shaoxing. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $685 in Shaoxing versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shaoxing but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shaoxing the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.