Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zunyi Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zunyi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,247 in Phuket versus $707 in Zunyi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $1,126 in Zunyi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Phuket versus $1,544 in Zunyi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than Zunyi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 7% lower, Zunyi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$2.82 ¥19.27

62.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,501

$21.29 ¥145

119.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿279

$4.81 ¥32.88

80.87%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.7

$3.09 ¥21.10

-5.50%

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

$0.68 ฿21.92

$0.43 ¥2.94

58.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.70

$0.27 ¥1.82

48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.4

$0.89 ¥6.09

182.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$2.12 ¥14.45

79.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.3

$1.82 ¥12.41

18.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.3

$1.62 ¥11.09

16.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.2

$0.90 ¥6.13

140.00%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.2

$1.60 ¥10.96

38.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿627

$13.01 ¥88.9

50.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$3.15 ¥21.54

20.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿430

$10.11 ¥69.0

32.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$1.86 ¥12.69

75.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.7

$1.22 ¥8.30

31.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿74.0

$1.48 ¥10.14

56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿66.0

$1.09 ¥7.46

88.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$0.74 ¥5.05

117.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.26

$0.91 ¥6.24

58.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.01

$0.61 ¥4.16

68.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.39

$0.52 ¥3.52

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$3.18 ¥21.73

41.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿615

$10.65 ¥72.7

80.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.4

$0.81 ¥5.50

124.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.2

$1.64 ¥11.17

64.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.16

$0.29 ¥1.99

375.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿377

$16.65 ¥114

-29.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.6

$1.35 ¥9.25

130.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.18

$0.35 ¥2.40

185.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿441

$6.60 ¥45.06

108.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.61

$1.16 ¥7.95

12.07%

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

$27.4K ฿877.0K

$19.1K ¥130.3K

43.34%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$17.3K ¥118.3K

90.68%

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

$125 ฿4,004

$45.40 ¥310

175.07%

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

$13.74 ฿440

$9.68 ¥66.1

41.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿597

$11.62 ¥79.4

60.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,941

$41.19 ¥281

47.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿550

$13.82 ¥94.4

24.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿289

$5.95 ¥40.65

51.43%

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

$698 ฿22.4K

$335 ¥2,287

108.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿516.5K

$16.9K ¥115.7K

-4.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,898

$42.92 ¥293

37.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,118

$29.87 ¥204

16.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,662

$71.9 ¥491

58.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,751

$72.7 ¥496

18.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

$279 ¥1,903

122.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$189 ¥1,292

130.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.5K

$590 ¥4,032

251.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.4K

$354 ¥2,416

326.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.7K

$3,047 ¥20.8K

23.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.4K

$2,004 ¥13.7K

34.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.89

37.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Zunyi: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $279 in Zunyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Phuket vs $21 in Zunyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $199 per month, with Zunyi 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 Zunyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zunyi is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,870 in Phuket and $1,061 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: $619 in Phuket versus $279 in Zunyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $335 in Zunyi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $707 in Zunyi versus $1,247 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 76% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.