Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,117 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shenzhen and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shenzhen and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,117 in Shenzhen versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Shenzhen $1,117
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,714 in Shenzhen versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Shenzhen $1,714
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,310 in Shenzhen versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Shenzhen $2,310
Phuket $3,154

Living in Shenzhen costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 18% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ¥24.35

$4.47 ฿151

-18.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.39 ¥196

$32.41 ฿1,093

-9.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 ¥35.16

$8.81 ฿297

-40.07%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ¥22.34

$2.83 ฿95.4

18.73%

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

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.87 ฿29.41

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.49 ฿16.65

-26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$2.56 ฿86.3

-42.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.26

$3.68 ฿124

-41.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥10.22

$1.66 ฿55.9

-7.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.84

$1.46 ฿49.31

11.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$1.50 ฿50.5

-24.00%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥11.63

$2.09 ฿70.5

-16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.74 ¥138

$19.07 ฿643

8.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.71

$3.30 ฿111

3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 ¥96.0

$10.91 ฿368

32.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥14.96

$2.93 ฿98.9

-23.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ¥10.79

$1.69 ฿57.0

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$2.25 ฿75.8

-13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$2.08 ฿70.0

-31.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$1.51 ฿51.0

-28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.52

$1.38 ฿46.52

-7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.97

$1.07 ฿35.96

-43.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.52 ฿17.51

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ¥29.50

$4.20 ฿142

5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.4

$18.79 ฿634

-35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.82 ฿61.5

-49.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.15

$2.84 ฿95.8

-35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.90

$1.45 ฿48.98

-69.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.05 ¥120

$56.7 ฿1,912

-68.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$3.02 ฿102

-49.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$1.02 ฿34.33

-59.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ¥48.97

$3.69 ฿125

99.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.77

$1.47 ฿49.76

-10.20%

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

$19.2K ¥127.9K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-28.20%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-32.39%

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

$64.8 ¥431

$96.4 ฿3,251

-32.78%

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

$9.90 ¥65.9

$11.26 ฿380

-12.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 ¥109

$16.85 ฿568

-2.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.95 ¥326

$67.2 ฿2,268

-27.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.95 ¥113

$10.73 ฿362

57.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.44

$7.50 ฿253

-2.93%

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

$537 ¥3,572

$476 ฿16.1K

12.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥162.4K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

116.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ¥371

$62.4 ฿2,104

-10.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 ¥270

$28.41 ฿958

42.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥486

$94.3 ฿3,181

-22.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥625

$85.8 ฿2,895

9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ¥5,009

$716 ฿24.2K

5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,132

$491 ฿16.6K

-4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 ¥12.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 ¥5,524

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-41.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K ¥87.7K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

215.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,479 ¥43.1K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

112.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ¥11.7K

$502 ฿16.9K

250.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.57

-39.86%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$471 42.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 4.3% $20

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 6.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$118 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.9% $3.4

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$101 9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$91 8.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$64 5.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 29.5% $19

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$23 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 202% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $753 in Shenzhen and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 3.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29 in Shenzhen vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $266 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:23 10:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h behind Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shenzhen Phuket 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
Phuket

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

Shenzhen vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Shenzhen is about 3.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $753 in Shenzhen versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Shenzhen versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Shenzhen is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.