Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taizhou Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taizhou

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $719 in Taizhou.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,161 in Taizhou.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,602 in Taizhou.

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than Taizhou, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Taizhou 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$2.76 ¥18.69

70.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$21.23 ¥144

113.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$4.91 ¥33.23

71.69%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$2.97 ¥20.13

-1.35%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.41 ¥2.81

68.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.29 ¥1.98

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.87 ¥5.88

177.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$1.66 ¥11.24

124.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.97 ¥13.31

13.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$1.99 ¥13.50

-8.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$0.50 ¥3.40

334.00%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.12 ¥7.61

97.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$17.16 ¥116

15.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$2.70 ¥18.32

34.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$9.89 ¥67.0

36.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$1.06 ¥7.17

209.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.74 ¥11.77

-7.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.35 ¥9.16

78.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.20 ¥8.10

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$0.70 ¥4.77

118.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$1.00 ¥6.78

48.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$0.64 ¥4.33

54.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.53 ¥3.56

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.14 ¥28.04

6.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$13.05 ¥88.4

48.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.41 ¥2.78

334.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.70 ¥11.52

59.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.27 ¥1.81

407.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$16.58 ¥112

-31.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.08 ¥7.31

179.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.35 ¥2.37

182.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$6.25 ¥42.31

125.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.16 ¥7.88

17.24%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$19.3K ¥130.7K

46.11%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$14.8K ¥100.3K

122.13%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$43.91 ¥297

177.16%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$8.24 ¥55.8

64.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$11.64 ¥78.9

57.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$42.33 ¥287

42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$14.12 ¥95.6

21.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$6.10 ¥41.31

42.46%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$451 ¥3,052

53.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$17.1K ¥115.7K

-8.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$30.61 ¥207

94.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$35.11 ¥238

-0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$72.9 ¥494

57.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$91.6 ¥620

-9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$278 ¥1,883

120.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$184 ¥1,249

137.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$585 ¥3,965

257.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$360 ¥2,439

319.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$3,144 ¥21.3K

19.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,776 ¥12.0K

47.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.83

39.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $278 in Taizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Taizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $212 per month, with Taizhou 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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taizhou is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,078 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: $613 in Phuket versus $278 in Taizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $451 in Taizhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Taizhou versus $1,265 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 76% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.