Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $728 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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 Zhanjiang
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Zhanjiang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zhanjiang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $728 in Zhanjiang.

Phuket $1,208
Zhanjiang $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,169 in Zhanjiang.

Phuket $2,027
Zhanjiang $1,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,610 in Zhanjiang.

Phuket $2,845
Zhanjiang $1,610

Living in Phuket is roughly 66% more expensive than in Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Zhanjiang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.98 ¥19.91

47.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$22.43 ¥150

43.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.12 ¥34.22

71.09%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.70 ¥18.02

4.81%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.47 ¥3.15

91.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.31 ¥2.10

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.11 ¥7.40

129.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.14 ¥14.31

78.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.87 ¥12.48

-7.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.64 ¥10.98

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.94 ¥6.30

60.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.67 ¥11.19

29.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.16 ¥88.0

49.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.41 ¥22.80

-2.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.11 ¥74.3

0.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.84 ¥12.32

54.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.33 ¥8.90

27.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.55 ¥10.37

41.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.30 ¥8.71

57.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.73 ¥4.91

98.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.95 ¥6.34

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.62 ¥4.15

72.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.58 ¥3.90

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.73 ¥24.93

14.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$11.56 ¥77.3

60.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.86 ¥5.75

106.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.60 ¥10.67

78.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.31 ¥2.08

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$18.08 ¥121

22.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.51 ¥10.12

99.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.35 ¥2.35

202.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$6.97 ¥46.60

-44.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.26 ¥8.41

15.08%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

33.93%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

52.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$57.6 ¥385

67.47%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.77 ¥58.6

25.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.05 ¥73.9

55.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.06 ¥275

27.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.96 ¥100

-25.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.17 ¥41.25

26.58%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$417 ¥2,791

33.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$17.7K ¥118.2K

-34.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.48 ¥291

47.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$33.31 ¥223

-13.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$73.6 ¥492

29.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$74.1 ¥495

18.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$303 ¥2,027

143.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$180 ¥1,200

157.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$635 ¥4,246

229.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$371 ¥2,479

223.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,507 ¥23.5K

-0.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,978 ¥13.2K

27.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.36

65.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zhanjiang: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Zhanjiang

$180 24.7% 61.2% $283

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Zhanjiang

$210 28.8% 22% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Zhanjiang

$77 10.6% 37.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zhanjiang

$101 13.9% 18.7% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.6% 30.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Zhanjiang

$53 7.3% 21.2% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Zhanjiang

$23 3.1% 42.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $303 in Zhanjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Zhanjiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $210 per month, with Zhanjiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,612,000

💱 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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Phuket Zhanjiang 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhanjiang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,092 in Zhanjiang 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 $303 in Zhanjiang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $417 in Zhanjiang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $728 in Zhanjiang versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhanjiang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhanjiang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhanjiang 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 Zhanjiang 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 Zhanjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.