Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tengzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Tengzhou: $717 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Tengzhou
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Tengzhou Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Tengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tengzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $717 in Tengzhou.

Phuket $1,207
Tengzhou $717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,135 in Tengzhou.

Phuket $2,037
Tengzhou $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,553 in Tengzhou.

Phuket $2,867
Tengzhou $1,553

Living in Phuket is roughly 68% more expensive than in Tengzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tengzhou 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.82 ¥18.83

56.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.40 ¥143

50.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.77 ¥31.89

83.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.94 ¥19.66

-3.74%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.47 ¥3.12

91.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.29 ¥1.94

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.95 ¥6.38

168.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.05 ¥13.71

86.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.86 ¥12.45

-6.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.60 ¥10.67

-8.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.96 ¥6.39

57.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.55 ¥10.39

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.66 ¥84.6

55.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.18 ¥21.25

5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.29 ¥68.8

8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.81 ¥12.08

57.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.22 ¥8.15

39.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.47 ¥9.83

48.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.14 ¥7.60

79.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.74 ¥4.93

95.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.91 ¥6.07

51.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.60 ¥3.98

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.55 ¥3.66

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.16 ¥21.14

34.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.41 ¥69.6

78.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.76 ¥5.08

134.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.61 ¥10.74

77.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.94

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$16.62 ¥111

32.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.40 ¥9.39

115.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.36 ¥2.38

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$6.76 ¥45.20

-42.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.14 ¥7.60

27.19%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

36.66%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.5K ¥117.3K

53.55%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.35 ¥297

117.32%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.84 ¥65.8

12.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.81 ¥78.9

45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$42.23 ¥282

23.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.68 ¥91.5

-18.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.09 ¥40.73

28.24%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$334 ¥2,233

66.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

-31.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$44.55 ¥298

44.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.83 ¥199

-3.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$72.0 ¥481

32.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$71.5 ¥478

23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$276 ¥1,844

167.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$195 ¥1,306

136.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$599 ¥4,008

249.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$365 ¥2,438

229.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,088 ¥20.6K

12.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,022 ¥13.5K

24.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tengzhou: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Tengzhou

$195 27.3% 57.8% $267

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Tengzhou

$198 27.6% 26.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Tengzhou

$66 9.2% 47% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tengzhou

$98 13.7% 21.1% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Tengzhou

$84 11.7% 30.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Tengzhou

$54 7.6% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Tengzhou

$21 2.9% 46.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $276 in Tengzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Tengzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $198 per month, with Tengzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Tengzhou

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,553,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Tengzhou 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tengzhou

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 Tengzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tengzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,075 in Tengzhou 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: $729 in Phuket versus $276 in Tengzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $334 in Tengzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $717 in Tengzhou versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tengzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tengzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tengzhou 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 Tengzhou 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 Tengzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.