Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
Learn more

Taizhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taizhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $774 in Taizhou.

Phuket $1,208
Taizhou $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,255 in Taizhou.

Phuket $2,027
Taizhou $1,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,735 in Taizhou.

Phuket $2,845
Taizhou $1,735

Living in Phuket is roughly 56% more expensive than in Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Taizhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$3.76 ¥25.05

17.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$25.85 ¥172

24.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$4.54 ¥30.25

92.95%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.43 ¥22.87

-17.49%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$0.53 ¥3.56

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.29 ¥1.91

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.17 ¥7.82

117.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.27 ¥15.15

68.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.87 ¥12.44

-7.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$1.65 ¥11.00

-10.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$0.54 ¥3.59

179.63%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.18 ¥7.87

83.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$19.42 ¥130

1.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$3.66 ¥24.44

-8.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$10.17 ¥67.9

9.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$1.19 ¥7.95

139.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.33 ¥8.87

27.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.52 ¥10.15

44.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$1.61 ¥10.75

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.74 ¥4.95

95.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$0.93 ¥6.22

48.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$0.68 ¥4.53

57.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.58 ¥3.87

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$4.22 ¥28.12

0.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$13.50 ¥90.0

37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$0.43 ¥2.89

313.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.64 ¥10.95

73.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.29 ¥1.93

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

$18.07 ¥121

22.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$1.22 ¥8.10

146.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.39 ¥2.58

171.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$7.02 ¥46.81

-45.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.28 ¥8.55

13.28%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

35.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$16.3K ¥108.8K

65.21%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$48.64 ¥324

98.15%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$8.88 ¥59.2

24.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$11.43 ¥76.2

49.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$41.01 ¥274

27.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$15.17 ¥101

-26.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$7.43 ¥49.56

5.11%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$564 ¥3,761

-1.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$35.6K ¥237.4K

-67.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$33.06 ¥220

94.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$42.37 ¥283

-32.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$83.2 ¥555

14.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$108 ¥722

-18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$299 ¥1,994

146.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$185 ¥1,236

149.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$640 ¥4,267

227.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$380 ¥2,537

215.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$3,418 ¥22.8K

2.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$1,980 ¥13.2K

27.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Taizhou

$185 23.9% 59.9% $277

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Taizhou

$223 28.9% 16.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Taizhou

$69 8.9% 44.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Taizhou

$120 15.5% 3.4% $4.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 18.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Taizhou

$56 7.2% 17.6% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Taizhou

$22 2.9% 43.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $299 in Taizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $26.00 in Taizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $223 per month, with Taizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

23:43 11:43 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

615,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Taizhou 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Taizhou

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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taizhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,162 in Taizhou 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: $737 in Phuket versus $299 in Taizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $564 in Taizhou. 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 $774 in Taizhou versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taizhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Taizhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taizhou 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 Taizhou 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 Taizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.