Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $708 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $708 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Phuket $1,278
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,174 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Phuket $2,216
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,174

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,639 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

Phuket $3,154
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,639

Living in Phuket is roughly 80% more expensive than in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.71 ¥24.67

20.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.88 ¥172

25.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.68 ¥31.17

88.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.18 ¥21.16

-11.01%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.44 ¥2.93

97.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.33 ¥2.20

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.88 ¥5.84

190.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.49 ¥9.90

146.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.82 ¥12.10

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.19 ¥7.89

22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.87 ¥5.80

72.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.99 ¥13.23

5.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$19.03 ¥127

0.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.78 ¥25.17

-12.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.11 ¥40.65

78.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.28 ¥15.18

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.40 ¥9.31

20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.48 ¥9.88

52.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.32 ¥8.80

57.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.92 ¥6.13

64.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.94 ¥6.29

46.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.67 ¥4.44

59.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.58 ¥3.86

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.68 ¥24.52

14.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.30 ¥88.5

41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.82 ¥5.43

121.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.52 ¥10.15

86.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.29 ¥1.92

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$16.68 ¥111

239.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.96 ¥13.05

54.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.36 ¥2.37

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.05 ¥46.90

-47.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.23 ¥8.20

19.51%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$17.6K ¥117.4K

51.80%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.1K ¥120.8K

47.08%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$18.87 ¥126

410.60%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.02 ¥66.7

12.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$11.05 ¥73.5

52.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$59.0 ¥393

13.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.56 ¥104

-31.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.46 ¥49.64

0.54%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$299 ¥1,990

59.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$17.7K ¥118.0K

-36.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$45.39 ¥302

37.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$41.76 ¥278

-31.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$59.8 ¥398

57.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$59.6 ¥397

43.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$260 ¥1,727

175.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$172 ¥1,141

186.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$604 ¥4,017

219.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$369 ¥2,457

287.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,998 ¥20.0K

39.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,945 ¥12.9K

56.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$172 24.2% 65.1% $319

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 18.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.6% 67.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.1% 23.8% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13% 24.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$74 10.4% 10.1% $8.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$22 3% 69.4% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $260 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $26 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $216 per month, with Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

831,113

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Phuket Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,063 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $260 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $299 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.