Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shaoxing

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $751 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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 Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shaoxing

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $751 in Shaoxing.

Phuket $1,208
Shaoxing $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,204 in Shaoxing.

Phuket $2,027
Shaoxing $1,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,657 in Shaoxing.

Phuket $2,845
Shaoxing $1,657

Living in Phuket is roughly 61% more expensive than in Shaoxing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$3.72 ¥24.81

18.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$22.22 ¥148

45.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$5.31 ¥35.43

64.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.58 ¥17.20

9.69%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$0.62 ¥4.15

45.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.36 ¥2.38

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.15 ¥7.66

121.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.19 ¥14.64

74.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.80 ¥11.97

-3.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$1.96 ¥13.05

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$0.75 ¥4.99

101.33%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.73 ¥11.55

25.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$11.67 ¥77.8

68.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$3.31 ¥22.05

0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$10.59 ¥70.6

5.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$1.78 ¥11.90

60.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.72 ¥11.50

-1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.72 ¥11.46

27.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$1.09 ¥7.28

88.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.83 ¥5.51

74.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$0.91 ¥6.07

51.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$0.65 ¥4.36

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.58 ¥3.87

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$3.44 ¥22.92

23.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$10.61 ¥70.8

75.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$0.77 ¥5.13

131.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.62 ¥10.81

75.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.23 ¥1.54

882.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

$19.86 ¥133

11.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$1.99 ¥13.25

51.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.43 ¥2.87

146.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$9.04 ¥60.3

-57.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.34 ¥8.93

8.21%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$19.5K ¥129.8K

35.30%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

49.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$47.33 ¥316

103.63%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$7.90 ¥52.7

39.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$9.14 ¥61.0

87.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$15.57 ¥104

235.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$6.79 ¥45.32

64.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$6.82 ¥45.51

14.52%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$844 ¥5,630

-34.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$24.9K ¥166.3K

-53.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$40.55 ¥270

58.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$31.99 ¥213

-10.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$76.9 ¥513

24.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$106 ¥708

-17.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$434 ¥2,898

69.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$222 ¥1,484

107.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$596 ¥3,977

251.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$450 ¥3,000

166.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$6,407 ¥42.7K

-45.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$3,558 ¥23.7K

-29.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$901 ¥6,009

-44.43%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Shaoxing: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Shaoxing

$222 29.6% 51.9% $240

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Shaoxing

$205 27.2% 23.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Shaoxing

$64 8.6% 48.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Shaoxing

$115 15.3% 7.5% $9.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Shaoxing

$91 12.1% 25.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Shaoxing

$29 3.9% 56.9% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Shaoxing

$25 3.3% 36.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $434 in Shaoxing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shaoxing pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Shaoxing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $205 per month, with Shaoxing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,912,239

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.93 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Shaoxing 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Phuket
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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 Shaoxing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shaoxing is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Shaoxing. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $434 in Shaoxing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $844 in Shaoxing. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $751 in Shaoxing versus $1,208 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 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.