Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,117 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shenzhen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Phuket $1,278
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Phuket $2,216
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Phuket $3,154
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Phuket is roughly 14% more expensive than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Shenzhen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.66 ¥24.35

22.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$29.39 ¥196

10.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.28 ¥35.16

66.86%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.36 ¥22.34

-15.77%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.58 ¥3.84

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.36 ¥2.37

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.48 ¥9.82

72.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.14 ¥14.26

71.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.54 ¥10.22

7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.63 ¥10.84

-10.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.14 ¥7.60

31.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.75 ¥11.63

19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$20.74 ¥138

-8.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.41 ¥22.71

-3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.42 ¥96.0

-24.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.25 ¥14.96

30.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.62 ¥10.79

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.94 ¥12.88

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.42 ¥9.47

46.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.08 ¥7.20

39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.28 ¥8.52

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.60 ¥3.97

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.56 ¥3.75

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.43 ¥29.50

-5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.08 ¥80.4

55.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.92 ¥6.15

97.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.83 ¥12.15

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.44 ¥2.90

229.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$18.05 ¥120

213.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.53 ¥10.15

97.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.41 ¥2.75

148.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.36 ¥48.97

-49.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.32 ¥8.77

11.36%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

39.27%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

47.90%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$64.8 ¥431

48.76%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.90 ¥65.9

13.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$16.40 ¥109

2.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$48.95 ¥326

37.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.95 ¥113

-36.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.28 ¥48.44

3.02%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$537 ¥3,572

-11.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-53.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$55.7 ¥371

11.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$40.56 ¥270

-29.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$73.1 ¥486

29.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$93.9 ¥625

-8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$753 ¥5,009

-4.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$471 ¥3,132

4.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,847 ¥12.3K

4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$830 ¥5,524

72.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$13.2K ¥87.7K

-68.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-53.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-71.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 4.1% $20

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 6.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 26.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 2.8% $3.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 17.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 22.8% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 66.9% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $249 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

02:21 2:21 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Shenzhen 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Shenzhen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.