Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taizhou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Taizhou versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Taizhou $774
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,255 in Taizhou versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Taizhou $1,255
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,735 in Taizhou versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Taizhou $1,735
Phuket $2,845

Living in Taizhou costs roughly 36% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taizhou 43% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.76 ¥25.11

$4.40 ฿147

-14.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.85 ¥173

$32.26 ฿1,078

-19.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.32

$8.76 ฿293

-48.17%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.93

$2.83 ฿94.5

21.20%

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

$0.53 ¥3.57

$0.90 ฿30.14

-41.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.47 ฿15.56

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$2.55 ฿85.2

-54.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.83 ฿128

-40.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.47

$1.73 ฿57.7

8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$1.47 ฿49.11

12.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.51 ฿50.6

-64.24%

Eggs

$1.18 ¥7.89

$2.17 ฿72.7

-45.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.42 ¥130

$19.70 ฿658

-1.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.50

$3.34 ฿112

9.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ¥68.0

$11.16 ฿373

-8.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.97

$2.85 ฿95.1

-58.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.70 ฿56.9

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.18

$2.19 ฿73.3

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.77

$2.05 ฿68.4

-21.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.45 ฿48.57

-48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.23

$1.38 ฿46.16

-32.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.54

$1.07 ฿35.69

-36.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.51 ฿16.91

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 ¥28.19

$4.26 ฿142

-0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 ¥90.3

$18.58 ฿621

-27.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.78 ฿59.7

-75.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.98

$2.85 ฿95.2

-42.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$2.26 ฿75.6

-87.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$22.10 ฿738

-18.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$3.01 ฿101

-59.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$1.06 ฿35.34

-63.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.92

$3.86 ฿129

81.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$1.45 ฿48.45

-11.72%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-26.19%

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

$16.3K ¥109.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-39.47%

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

$48.64 ¥325

$96.4 ฿3,221

-49.53%

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

$8.88 ¥59.4

$11.04 ฿369

-19.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.43 ¥76.4

$17.14 ฿573

-33.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.01 ¥274

$52.2 ฿1,744

-21.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.17 ¥101

$11.16 ฿373

35.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ¥49.68

$7.81 ฿261

-4.87%

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

$564 ¥3,770

$556 ฿18.6K

1.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K ¥238.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

207.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.06 ¥221

$64.2 ฿2,146

-48.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.37 ¥283

$28.69 ฿959

47.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ¥556

$95.4 ฿3,187

-12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ¥724

$88.0 ฿2,940

23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 ¥1,999

$737 ฿24.6K

-59.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,239

$462 ฿15.5K

-59.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥4,277

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-69.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥2,543

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-68.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 ¥22.9K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-2.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-21.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Taizhou

$223 28.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 20.2% $45

Accommodation & Living

Taizhou

$185 23.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 150% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Taizhou

$120 15.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.5% $4.2

Eating Out

Taizhou

$98 12.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 23.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taizhou

$69 8.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 80.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Taizhou

$56 7.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 21.4% $12

Getting Around

Taizhou

$22 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 76.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $299 in Taizhou and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Taizhou vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $269 per month, with Taizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

1 h behind Taizhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

615,000

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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taizhou Phuket 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Taizhou
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

Taizhou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taizhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,162 in Taizhou and $1,813 in Phuket 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: $299 in Taizhou versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $564 in Taizhou versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $774 in Taizhou versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taizhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Taizhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taizhou 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, Taizhou 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 Taizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.