Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhoushan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $623 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
Learn more

Zhoushan Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zhoushan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $623 in Zhoushan.

Phuket $1,278
Zhoushan $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,008 in Zhoushan.

Phuket $2,216
Zhoushan $1,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,394 in Zhoushan.

Phuket $3,154
Zhoushan $1,394

Living in Phuket is roughly 105% more expensive than in Zhoushan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Zhoushan 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.32 ¥22.12

34.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$18.60 ¥124

74.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.09 ¥27.24

115.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.96 ¥19.67

-4.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.47 ¥3.10

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.27 ¥1.81

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.77 ¥5.13

232.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.93 ¥12.81

90.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.80 ¥12.01

-7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.19 ¥14.57

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.87 ¥5.81

72.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.06 ¥7.02

97.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.59 ¥90.5

40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.48 ¥23.16

-5.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.07 ¥73.7

-1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.53 ¥10.15

91.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.23 ¥8.15

37.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.53 ¥10.17

47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.22 ¥8.10

70.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.57 ¥3.82

164.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.88 ¥5.86

56.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.60 ¥3.98

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.55 ¥3.69

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.36 ¥35.65

-21.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.10 ¥80.5

55.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.91 ¥6.08

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.16 ¥14.37

31.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.29 ¥1.92

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$15.22 ¥101

272.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.48 ¥9.86

104.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.42 ¥2.83

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.04 ¥60.1

-59.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.17 ¥7.81

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$19.8K ¥131.5K

35.50%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$16.0K ¥106.2K

67.27%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$36.52 ¥243

163.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.44 ¥76.1

-1.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.66 ¥184

-39.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$25.05 ¥167

168.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.59 ¥50.5

41.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.16 ¥41.00

21.75%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$447 ¥2,971

6.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$16.5K ¥109.5K

-31.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$34.73 ¥231

79.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$21.39 ¥142

32.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$64.7 ¥430

45.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$45.75 ¥304

87.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$333 ¥2,214

115.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$118 ¥786

315.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$762 ¥5,068

152.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$271 ¥1,803

428.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,030 ¥20.2K

37.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,988 ¥13.2K

53.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$588 ¥3,914

-14.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.13

77.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zhoushan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Zhoushan

$118 19% 75.9% $373

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Zhoushan

$212 34% 20.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Zhoushan

$76 12.1% 39.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zhoushan

$75 12% 38.5% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zhoushan

$85 13.7% 30.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Zhoushan

$37 6% 54.6% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Zhoushan

$20 3.2% 71.7% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $333 in Zhoushan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhoushan pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Zhoushan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $212 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,157,817

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Zhoushan 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zhoushan

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 Zhoushan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoushan is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $333 in Zhoushan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $447 in Zhoushan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $623 in Zhoushan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zhoushan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhoushan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.