Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zhuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuzhou: $714 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhuzhou
Learn more

Zhuzhou Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Zhuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zhuzhou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $714 in Zhuzhou.

Phuket $1,294
Zhuzhou $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,133 in Zhuzhou.

Phuket $2,204
Zhuzhou $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,551 in Zhuzhou.

Phuket $3,115
Zhuzhou $1,551

Living in Phuket is roughly 81% more expensive than in Zhuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Zhuzhou 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$2.87 ¥19.11

52.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$21.29 ¥142

51.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$4.84 ¥32.25

79.75%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.04 ¥20.22

-10.53%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$0.47 ¥3.12

97.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.27 ¥1.77

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$0.93 ¥6.20

172.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.07 ¥13.77

75.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.79 ¥11.92

-2.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.56 ¥10.36

-7.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$0.95 ¥6.33

57.89%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$1.60 ¥10.66

35.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$12.64 ¥84.2

51.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$3.18 ¥21.16

6.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$10.27 ¥68.4

6.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.79 ¥11.92

64.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.25 ¥8.29

35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.52 ¥10.12

44.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.14 ¥7.62

85.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$0.75 ¥4.97

94.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.91 ¥6.07

50.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$0.61 ¥4.03

77.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.54 ¥3.61

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.08 ¥20.51

43.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$10.48 ¥69.8

74.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$0.75 ¥4.97

136.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$1.64 ¥10.93

75.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.27 ¥1.78

437.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$16.64 ¥111

229.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.36 ¥9.03

11.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.33 ¥2.17

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$6.66 ¥44.31

-42.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.18 ¥7.83

26.27%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$19.5K ¥129.9K

37.75%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$17.4K ¥115.6K

51.79%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$45.72 ¥304

113.93%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$9.74 ¥64.9

15.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$11.60 ¥77.3

48.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$41.85 ¥279

63.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$13.82 ¥92.0

-20.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$5.81 ¥38.71

27.88%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$335 ¥2,227

58.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$17.1K ¥113.5K

10.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$43.24 ¥288

42.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$30.12 ¥201

-6.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$70.8 ¥471

35.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$72.2 ¥481

20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$278 ¥1,853

159.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$193 ¥1,283

164.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$598 ¥3,980

226.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$364 ¥2,421

284.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$3,063 ¥20.4K

36.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$2,045 ¥13.6K

61.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zhuzhou: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Zhuzhou

$193 27% 62.1% $316

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Zhuzhou

$197 27.6% 26% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Zhuzhou

$67 9.4% 46.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Zhuzhou

$97 13.6% 20.7% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Zhuzhou

$86 12% 28.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Zhuzhou

$53 7.5% 35.7% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Zhuzhou

$21 2.9% 68.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $278 in Zhuzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $21 in Zhuzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $197 per month, with Zhuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Zhuzhou

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,000,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Zhuzhou 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zhuzhou

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 Zhuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhuzhou is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,072 in Zhuzhou 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: $721 in Phuket versus $278 in Zhuzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $335 in Zhuzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Zhuzhou versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Zhuzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhuzhou 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Zhuzhou are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Zhuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.