Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 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 Zhangzhou
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Zhangzhou Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zhangzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $716 in Zhangzhou.

Phuket $1,208
Zhangzhou $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,132 in Zhangzhou.

Phuket $2,027
Zhangzhou $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,547 in Zhangzhou.

Phuket $2,845
Zhangzhou $1,547

Living in Phuket is roughly 69% more expensive than in Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.74 ¥18.35

60.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.73 ¥145

48.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.80 ¥32.11

82.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.05 ¥20.39

-7.21%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.47 ¥3.16

91.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.27 ¥1.78

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.90 ¥6.01

183.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.06 ¥13.75

85.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.81 ¥12.13

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.59 ¥10.65

-7.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.90 ¥6.03

67.78%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.55 ¥10.35

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.58 ¥84.1

56.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.15 ¥21.08

6.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.14 ¥67.8

10.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.86 ¥12.45

53.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.25 ¥8.36

36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.48 ¥9.91

47.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.10 ¥7.38

86.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.73 ¥4.88

98.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.91 ¥6.11

51.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.55 ¥3.70

94.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.56 ¥3.72

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.06 ¥20.49

39.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.62 ¥71.0

74.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.73 ¥4.89

143.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.58 ¥10.55

80.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.95

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$16.89 ¥113

30.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.41 ¥9.43

113.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.32 ¥2.17

231.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$6.55 ¥43.79

-41.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.12 ¥7.48

29.46%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

37.66%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

56.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$45.55 ¥305

111.59%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.74 ¥65.1

13.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.81 ¥79.0

45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.19 ¥275

26.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.66 ¥91.4

-18.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.94 ¥39.75

31.48%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$337 ¥2,251

65.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$16.7K ¥111.4K

-30.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.23 ¥289

48.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$30.11 ¥201

-4.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$71.1 ¥476

34.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$72.8 ¥487

20.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$282 ¥1,886

161.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$196 ¥1,308

136.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$584 ¥3,902

258.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$361 ¥2,411

233.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,977 ¥19.9K

17.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,003 ¥13.4K

25.94%

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 Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 57.7% $267

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 26.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 46.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 21.3% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 30.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 21.7% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 46.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Zhangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $197 per month, with Zhangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,809,983

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Zhangzhou 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zhangzhou

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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,074 in Zhangzhou 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 $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $337 in Zhangzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $716 in Zhangzhou versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhangzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.