Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
Learn more

Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zhangjiagang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $740 in Zhangjiagang.

Phuket $1,207
Zhangjiagang $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,149 in Zhangjiagang.

Phuket $2,037
Zhangjiagang $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,558 in Zhangjiagang.

Phuket $2,867
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Living in Phuket is roughly 63% more expensive than in Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Zhangjiagang 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.80 ¥25.42

20.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$22.20 ¥148

46.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.98 ¥33.31

71.69%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.04 ¥20.32

-10.53%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.49 ¥3.29

91.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.27 ¥1.81

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.51 ¥10.09

71.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.22 ¥14.84

72.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.08 ¥13.89

-16.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.09 ¥13.95

-31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.84 ¥5.64

82.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.36 ¥9.09

59.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.64 ¥71.1

79.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.93 ¥19.59

12.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$9.12 ¥61.0

22.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.04 ¥13.65

44.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.29 ¥8.64

30.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.80 ¥12.03

27.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.11 ¥7.39

91.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.90 ¥5.99

70.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.90 ¥6.03

51.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.87 ¥5.80

28.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.53 ¥3.51

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.64 ¥24.37

17.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$13.44 ¥89.9

35.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.94 ¥6.27

85.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.56 ¥10.44

78.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.30 ¥1.99

640.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$17.58 ¥118

25.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.76 ¥11.78

65.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.39 ¥2.60

158.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.76 ¥58.6

-56.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.37 ¥9.14

8.76%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

39.13%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

58.48%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$55.8 ¥373

78.24%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$7.76 ¥51.9

45.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$7.32 ¥48.97

137.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$36.15 ¥242

44.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$16.01 ¥107

-32.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.07 ¥40.60

24.71%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$418 ¥2,793

33.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-48.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$42.99 ¥287

46.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$34.04 ¥228

-16.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$65.7 ¥439

46.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$88.5 ¥591

-0.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$280 ¥1,869

160.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$194 ¥1,295

137.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$719 ¥4,808

191.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$324 ¥2,167

277.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,266 ¥21.8K

5.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,685 ¥11.3K

47.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.42

62.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 57.9% $266

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 23.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 44.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 16.1% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 20.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 28.4% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 42.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $204 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,432,044

💱 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 Zhangjiagang 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zhangjiagang

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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiagang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang 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 $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $418 in Zhangjiagang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.