Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yangzhou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Yangzhou: $686 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Yangzhou, China
Phuket, Thailand
Yangzhou
🇨🇳 China
$686
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $686 in Yangzhou versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Yangzhou $686
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in Yangzhou versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Yangzhou $1,102
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,517 in Yangzhou versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Yangzhou $1,517
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Yangzhou costs roughly 46% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yangzhou 50% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.28 ¥15.17
$4.47 ฿151
-48.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.15 ¥74.1
$32.41 ฿1,093
-65.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.08 ¥20.45
$8.81 ฿297
-65.04%
Cappuccino
$2.50 ¥16.60
$2.83 ฿95.4
-11.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥2.92
$0.87 ฿29.41
-49.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 ¥1.39
$0.49 ฿16.65
-57.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 ¥6.85
$2.56 ฿86.3
-59.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 ¥13.33
$3.68 ฿124
-45.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 ¥8.15
$1.66 ฿55.9
-25.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 ¥13.48
$1.46 ฿49.31
39.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.81 ¥5.39
$1.50 ฿50.5
-46.00%
Eggs
$1.02 ¥6.75
$2.09 ฿70.5
-51.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.12 ¥93.8
$19.07 ฿643
-25.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.68 ¥17.80
$3.30 ฿111
-18.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.74 ¥44.77
$10.91 ฿368
-38.22%
Apples (1kg)
$0.75 ¥4.97
$2.93 ฿98.9
-74.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ¥11.25
$1.69 ฿57.0
-
Oranges (1kg)
$0.44 ¥2.89
$2.25 ฿75.8
-80.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 ¥6.95
$2.08 ฿70.0
-49.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 ¥4.79
$1.51 ฿51.0
-52.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.62 ¥4.14
$1.38 ฿46.52
-55.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.78 ¥5.20
$1.07 ฿35.96
-27.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ¥4.76
$0.52 ฿17.51
38.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.98 ¥19.82
$4.20 ฿142
-29.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.03 ¥79.9
$18.79 ฿634
-35.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 ¥5.89
$1.82 ฿61.5
-51.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 ¥12.69
$2.84 ฿95.8
-32.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 ¥2.35
$1.45 ฿48.98
-75.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.84 ¥132
$56.7 ฿1,912
-64.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ¥7.85
$3.02 ฿102
-60.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.26 ¥1.72
$1.02 ฿34.33
-74.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.54 ¥23.51
$3.69 ฿125
-4.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥7.74
$1.47 ฿49.76
-21.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K ¥130.9K
$26.8K ฿903.4K
-26.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.8K ¥111.8K
$26.7K ฿900.5K
-36.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$49.69 ¥330
$96.4 ฿3,251
-48.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.29 ¥55.1
$11.26 ฿380
-26.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.09 ¥80.3
$16.85 ฿568
-28.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.28 ¥254
$67.2 ฿2,268
-43.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.92 ¥112
$10.73 ฿362
57.69%
Cinema Ticket
$6.39 ¥42.46
$7.50 ฿253
-14.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$242 ¥1,611
$476 ฿16.1K
-49.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,398 ¥49.2K
$11.3K ฿380.0K
-34.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.4 ¥607
$62.4 ฿2,104
46.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.42 ¥215
$28.41 ฿958
14.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.0 ¥432
$94.3 ฿3,181
-31.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.1 ¥606
$85.8 ฿2,895
6.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$254 ¥1,687
$716 ฿24.2K
-64.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$162 ¥1,077
$491 ฿16.6K
-66.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$609 ¥4,045
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-68.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$388 ¥2,578
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-72.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,595 ¥17.2K
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-37.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,777 ¥11.8K
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-41.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Yangzhou
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,260 ¥8,373
$502 ฿16.9K
150.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.1
5.57
-44.34%

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

Last update for Yangzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Yangzhou
$184
Phuket
$266 44.6% $82
Accommodation & Living
Yangzhou
$162
Phuket
$491 203% $329
Clothing & Footwear
Yangzhou
$126
Phuket
$122 3.2% $4.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yangzhou
$70
Phuket
$124 77.7% $54
Eating Out
Yangzhou
$69
Phuket
$122 75.7% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Yangzhou
$51
Phuket
$82 61% $31
Getting Around
Yangzhou
$24
Phuket
$71 197% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $254 in Yangzhou and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yangzhou pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11 in Yangzhou vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $266 per month, with Yangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Yangzhou
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
21:10 9:10 PM
20:10 8:10 PM
1 h behind Yangzhou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,559,797
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Yangzhou Phuket 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Yangzhou
  • 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
Yangzhou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yangzhou cheaper than Phuket?
Yangzhou is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Yangzhou or Phuket?
Average pay in Yangzhou is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Yangzhou and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $254 in Yangzhou versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $242 in Yangzhou versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Yangzhou and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Yangzhou or in Phuket?
At $686 in Yangzhou versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yangzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yangzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Yangzhou or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Yangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Yangzhou vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?