Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Suzhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Suzhou

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $971 in Suzhou.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,597 in Suzhou.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,223 in Suzhou.

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than Suzhou, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Suzhou 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$4.23 ¥28.62

11.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$41.28 ¥279

9.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.71 ¥38.65

47.64%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.93 ¥26.57

-25.45%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$1.66 ¥11.23

-58.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.74 ¥4.98

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$4.26 ¥28.85

-43.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$5.70 ¥38.56

-34.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$2.43 ¥16.46

-8.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$2.50 ¥16.95

-26.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$1.15 ¥7.81

88.70%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$1.98 ¥13.38

11.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$20.82 ¥141

-5.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.71 ¥25.11

-2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$7.76 ¥52.5

74.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$2.14 ¥14.50

53.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$1.63 ¥11.03

-1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$1.58 ¥10.70

52.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.36 ¥9.23

52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$0.69 ¥4.64

121.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$1.18 ¥7.96

25.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$0.99 ¥6.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.50 ¥3.39

2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.20 ¥28.41

5.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$10.30 ¥69.7

88.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.93 ¥6.29

91.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$2.78 ¥18.83

-2.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$0.29 ¥1.97

372.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$41.59 ¥282

-72.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$1.76 ¥11.92

71.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$0.35 ¥2.37

182.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$8.46 ¥57.3

66.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.18 ¥8.00

15.25%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$21.2K ¥143.3K

33.18%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$23.3K ¥157.9K

41.03%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$117 ¥794

3.71%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$14.88 ¥101

-8.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$11.54 ¥78.1

58.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$63.8 ¥432

-5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$19.08 ¥129

-10.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$6.88 ¥46.54

26.31%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$787 ¥5,330

-11.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$16.8K ¥113.5K

-6.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$54.1 ¥366

10.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$35.30 ¥239

-1.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$72.1 ¥488

59.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$93.1 ¥630

-10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$408 ¥2,761

50.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$204 ¥1,380

114.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$971 ¥6,573

115.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$528 ¥3,576

185.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$5,287 ¥35.8K

-29.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$2,783 ¥18.8K

-6.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$1,339 ¥9,064

-62.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.86

38.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $408 in Suzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suzhou pays 164% 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 $41.00 in Suzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $245 per month, with Suzhou 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 Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suzhou is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Suzhou earns 164% 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 $408 in Suzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $787 in Suzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $971 in Suzhou versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Suzhou 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 Suzhou 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 Suzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.