Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $876 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$876

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suzhou 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 Suzhou and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $876 in Suzhou versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Suzhou $876
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,504 in Suzhou versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Suzhou $1,504
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,132 in Suzhou versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Suzhou $2,132
Phuket $2,822

Living in Suzhou costs roughly 26% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Suzhou 35% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.26 ¥28.48

$4.35 ฿146

-2.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.42 ¥197

$32.45 ฿1,087

-9.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 ¥35.36

$8.42 ฿282

-37.17%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.58

$2.81 ฿94.0

20.28%

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

$0.73 ¥4.86

$0.87 ฿29.29

-16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.46 ฿15.39

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ¥15.05

$2.59 ฿86.6

-13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ¥30.71

$3.64 ฿122

26.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$1.71 ฿57.2

10.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 ¥13.63

$1.45 ฿48.42

40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.63

$1.56 ฿52.3

-17.31%

Eggs

$1.82 ¥12.19

$2.10 ฿70.3

-13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.80 ¥119

$19.53 ฿654

-8.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ¥23.36

$3.40 ฿114

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.57 ¥57.3

$11.14 ฿373

-23.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.58

$2.83 ฿94.8

-28.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.54

$1.62 ฿54.3

-20.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.27

$2.22 ฿74.5

-37.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$2.15 ฿71.9

-30.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$1.49 ฿49.95

-57.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$1.33 ฿44.40

-12.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.56

$1.07 ฿35.72

-22.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.69

$0.51 ฿17.01

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 ¥30.50

$4.38 ฿147

4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 ¥60.2

$18.77 ฿629

-52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$1.74 ฿58.3

-39.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$2.78 ฿92.9

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$2.17 ฿72.6

-82.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.93 ¥294

$22.28 ฿746

97.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 ¥11.59

$3.02 ฿101

-42.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$1.06 ฿35.43

-66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.20 ¥68.2

$3.71 ฿124

174.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$1.43 ฿47.88

-10.49%

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

$19.6K ¥131.3K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

-25.42%

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

$17.7K ¥118.6K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

-32.27%

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

$99.4 ¥664

$96.7 ฿3,236

2.83%

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

$12.81 ¥85.6

$11.41 ฿382

12.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.12 ¥74.4

$17.11 ฿573

-35.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.16 ¥222

$52.8 ฿1,768

-37.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.47 ¥123

$11.07 ฿371

66.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.09

$7.65 ฿256

-23.53%

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

$1,213 ¥8,105

$555 ฿18.6K

118.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ¥143.0K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

89.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 ¥350

$63.4 ฿2,123

-17.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.14 ¥275

$28.61 ฿958

43.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 ¥557

$96.7 ฿3,238

-13.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 ¥578

$88.6 ฿2,967

-2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 ¥3,057

$735 ฿24.6K

-37.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,292

$458 ฿15.3K

-57.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 ¥6,902

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-50.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-49.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,329 ¥35.6K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

52.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,773 ¥18.5K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

11.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,381 ¥9,231

$501 ฿16.8K

175.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

5.57

-36.62%

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

Last update for Suzhou: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suzhou

$221 25.5%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 21.4% $47

Accommodation & Living

Suzhou

$193 22.3%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 137% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suzhou

$123 14.3%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 1.5% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Suzhou

$119 13.7%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 5.3% $6.3

Eating Out

Suzhou

$115 13.3%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 3.3% $3.8

Getting Around

Suzhou

$49 5.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 19.9% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Suzhou

$45 5.2%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 51.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $457 in Suzhou and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suzhou pays 176% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Suzhou vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $268 per month, with Suzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h behind Suzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,748,262

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Suzhou Phuket 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Suzhou
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

Suzhou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 176% higher in Suzhou, 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: $457 in Suzhou versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,213 in Suzhou versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $876 in Suzhou versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Suzhou 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, Suzhou and Phuket 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 Suzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.