Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhoushan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhoushan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $671 in Zhoushan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,061 in Zhoushan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,451 in Zhoushan.

Living in Phuket is roughly 89% more expensive than Zhoushan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Zhoushan 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$3.10 ¥20.96

51.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$17.11 ¥116

165.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$4.80 ¥32.47

75.63%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$2.83 ¥19.15

3.53%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.43 ¥2.94

60.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.29 ¥1.97

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.88 ¥5.98

173.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$1.42 ¥9.63

161.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$2.15 ¥14.53

3.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$2.38 ¥16.07

-23.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$0.86 ¥5.83

152.33%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$0.99 ¥6.68

123.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$20.97 ¥142

-5.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.74 ¥25.29

-2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$7.96 ¥53.8

69.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$1.41 ¥9.55

132.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.12 ¥7.61

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.41 ¥9.54

70.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.08 ¥7.32

92.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$0.54 ¥3.65

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.81 ¥5.49

82.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$0.61 ¥4.10

62.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.48 ¥3.22

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.27 ¥28.86

3.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$11.16 ¥75.4

73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.94 ¥6.37

89.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$2.70 ¥18.23

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.27 ¥1.82

407.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$16.65 ¥113

-31.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.58 ¥10.65

91.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.35 ¥2.37

182.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$8.34 ¥56.4

69.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.09 ¥7.39

24.77%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$21.1K ¥142.9K

33.44%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$15.2K ¥102.6K

116.80%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$45.78 ¥310

165.84%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$14.90 ¥101

-8.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$11.26 ¥76.2

62.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$22.83 ¥154

163.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$6.79 ¥45.93

152.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$6.42 ¥43.38

35.36%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$744 ¥5,029

-6.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$16.7K ¥113.2K

-6.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$53.7 ¥363

10.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$35.42 ¥240

-1.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$70.2 ¥475

63.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$91.4 ¥618

-8.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$308 ¥2,084

98.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$112 ¥760

288.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$700 ¥4,731

199.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$254 ¥1,716

494.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$2,961 ¥20.0K

26.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,990 ¥13.5K

31.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$602 ¥4,068

-15.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.86

38.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Zhoushan: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $308 in Zhoushan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhoushan pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Zhoushan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $227 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Zhoushan earns 18% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $308 in Zhoushan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $744 in Zhoushan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $671 in Zhoushan versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Zhoushan 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 Zhoushan 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 Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.