Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zunyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zunyi: $714 a month against $1,207 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 Zunyi
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Zunyi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Zunyi

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zunyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $714 in Zunyi.

Phuket $1,207
Zunyi $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,133 in Zunyi.

Phuket $2,037
Zunyi $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,552 in Zunyi.

Phuket $2,867
Zunyi $1,552

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.82 ¥18.83

62.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$21.31 ¥143

52.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.74 ¥31.69

80.38%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.10 ¥20.71

-12.26%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.46 ¥3.10

104.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.27 ¥1.79

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.95 ¥6.37

172.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.12 ¥14.19

80.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.81 ¥12.10

-3.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.55 ¥10.38

-7.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.97 ¥6.46

57.73%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.53 ¥10.25

41.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$13.07 ¥87.4

46.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.22 ¥21.54

2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.41 ¥69.6

7.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.89 ¥12.61

56.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.20 ¥8.05

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.54 ¥10.27

49.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.10 ¥7.36

93.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.75 ¥5.01

104.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.90 ¥6.00

51.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.59 ¥3.96

89.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.51 ¥3.40

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.12 ¥20.83

36.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.37 ¥69.3

75.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.80 ¥5.38

117.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.66 ¥11.10

68.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.29 ¥1.94

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$16.75 ¥112

31.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.42 ¥9.51

104.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.35 ¥2.35

188.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.58 ¥44.03

-41.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.13 ¥7.57

31.86%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

37.87%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$16.9K ¥113.1K

57.89%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$44.30 ¥296

124.31%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$10.08 ¥67.4

11.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.57 ¥77.4

50.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$41.09 ¥275

27.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.79 ¥92.2

-21.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.06 ¥40.54

24.92%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$332 ¥2,220

68.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

-30.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$44.38 ¥297

41.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$30.52 ¥204

-6.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$72.0 ¥481

33.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$73.4 ¥490

20.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$274 ¥1,835

165.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$190 ¥1,271

141.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$581 ¥3,883

260.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$358 ¥2,391

241.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,041 ¥20.3K

13.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,041 ¥13.6K

21.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 13, 2026

Last update for Zunyi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Zunyi

$190 26.6% 58.7% $270

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Zunyi

$199 27.9% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Zunyi

$66 9.2% 48.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zunyi

$99 13.9% 20.1% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Zunyi

$86 12% 29.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Zunyi

$53 7.5% 21.1% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Zunyi

$21 3% 45.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $274 in Zunyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Zunyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $199 per month, with Zunyi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Zunyi

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,606,675

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Zunyi 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zunyi

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 Zunyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zunyi 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 $1,811 in Phuket and $1,072 in Zunyi 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: $729 in Phuket versus $274 in Zunyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $332 in Zunyi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Zunyi versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zunyi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zunyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zunyi 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 Zunyi 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 Zunyi 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.