Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhangzhou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zhangzhou
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Zhangzhou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $716 in Zhangzhou versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Zhangzhou $716
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,132 in Zhangzhou versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Zhangzhou $1,132
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,547 in Zhangzhou versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Zhangzhou $1,547
Phuket $2,845

Living in Zhangzhou costs roughly 41% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhangzhou 47% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.35

$4.40 ฿147

-37.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.73 ¥145

$32.26 ฿1,078

-32.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥32.11

$8.76 ฿293

-45.21%

Cappuccino

$3.05 ¥20.39

$2.83 ฿94.5

7.77%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$0.90 ฿30.14

-47.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.47 ฿15.56

-42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$2.55 ฿85.2

-64.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$3.83 ฿128

-46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ¥12.13

$1.73 ฿57.7

4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.65

$1.47 ฿49.11

8.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$1.51 ฿50.6

-40.40%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.35

$2.17 ฿72.7

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 ¥84.1

$19.70 ฿658

-36.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ¥21.08

$3.34 ฿112

-5.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 ¥67.8

$11.16 ฿373

-9.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.45

$2.85 ฿95.1

-34.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.70 ฿56.9

-26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$2.19 ฿73.3

-32.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.38

$2.05 ฿68.4

-46.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$1.45 ฿48.57

-49.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$1.38 ฿46.16

-34.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$1.07 ฿35.69

-48.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.51 ฿16.91

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.49

$4.26 ฿142

-28.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 ¥71.0

$18.58 ฿621

-42.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥4.89

$1.78 ฿59.7

-58.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.55

$2.85 ฿95.2

-44.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$2.26 ฿75.6

-87.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.89 ¥113

$22.10 ฿738

-23.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$3.01 ฿101

-53.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$1.06 ฿35.34

-69.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 ¥43.79

$3.86 ฿129

69.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥7.48

$1.45 ฿48.45

-22.76%

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

$19.1K ¥127.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-27.36%

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

$17.2K ¥115.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-36.00%

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

$45.55 ¥305

$96.4 ฿3,221

-52.74%

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

$9.74 ¥65.1

$11.04 ฿369

-11.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.81 ¥79.0

$17.14 ฿573

-31.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.19 ¥275

$52.2 ฿1,744

-21.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.66 ¥91.4

$11.16 ฿373

22.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ¥39.75

$7.81 ฿261

-23.94%

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

$337 ¥2,251

$556 ฿18.6K

-39.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

43.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 ¥289

$64.2 ฿2,146

-32.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.11 ¥201

$28.69 ฿959

4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 ¥476

$95.4 ฿3,187

-25.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.8 ¥487

$88.0 ฿2,940

-17.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 ¥1,886

$737 ฿24.6K

-61.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,308

$462 ฿15.5K

-57.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,902

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-72.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ¥2,411

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-69.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,977 ¥19.9K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-14.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,003 ¥13.4K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-20.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.57

-30.16%

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

Last update for Zhangzhou: 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

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 36.4% $72

Accommodation & Living

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 136% $267

Clothing & Footwear

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 27.1% $27

Eating Out

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 43.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 85.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 27.7% $15

Getting Around

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 87% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Zhangzhou and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Zhangzhou vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $269 per month, with Zhangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

1 h behind Zhangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,809,983

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 23, 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 23, 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 →

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Zhangzhou Phuket 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhangzhou
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

Zhangzhou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,074 in Zhangzhou 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: $282 in Zhangzhou versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $337 in Zhangzhou 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 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $716 in Zhangzhou versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhangzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zhangzhou 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, Zhangzhou 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 Zhangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.