Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhoushan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoushan: $623 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zhoushan
Learn more

Zhoushan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Zhoushan

🇨🇳 China

$623

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Zhoushan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Zhoushan $623
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,008 in Zhoushan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Zhoushan $1,008
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,394 in Zhoushan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Zhoushan $1,394
Phuket $3,154

Living in Zhoushan costs roughly 51% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhoushan 54% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 ¥22.12

$4.47 ฿151

-25.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.60 ¥124

$32.41 ฿1,093

-42.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ¥27.24

$8.81 ฿297

-53.58%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥19.67

$2.83 ฿95.4

4.59%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.87 ฿29.41

-45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.49 ฿16.65

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.13

$2.56 ฿86.3

-69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.81

$3.68 ฿124

-47.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$1.66 ฿55.9

8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ¥14.57

$1.46 ฿49.31

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.81

$1.50 ฿50.5

-42.00%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.02

$2.09 ฿70.5

-49.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 ¥90.5

$19.07 ฿643

-28.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ¥23.16

$3.30 ฿111

5.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ¥73.7

$10.91 ฿368

1.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.15

$2.93 ฿98.9

-47.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.15

$1.69 ฿57.0

-27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.17

$2.25 ฿75.8

-32.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$2.08 ฿70.0

-41.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$1.51 ฿51.0

-62.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.86

$1.38 ฿46.52

-36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.07 ฿35.96

-43.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.69

$0.52 ฿17.51

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 ¥35.65

$4.20 ฿142

27.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.10 ¥80.5

$18.79 ฿634

-35.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$1.82 ฿61.5

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.37

$2.84 ฿95.8

-23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.45 ฿48.98

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.22 ¥101

$56.7 ฿1,912

-73.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$3.02 ฿102

-50.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.83

$1.02 ฿34.33

-58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 ¥60.1

$3.69 ฿125

144.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$1.47 ฿49.76

-20.41%

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

$19.8K ¥131.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-26.20%

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

$16.0K ¥106.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-40.21%

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

$36.52 ¥243

$96.4 ฿3,251

-62.10%

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

$11.44 ¥76.1

$11.26 ฿380

1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.66 ¥184

$16.85 ฿568

64.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.05 ¥167

$67.2 ฿2,268

-62.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ¥50.5

$10.73 ฿362

-29.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 ¥41.00

$7.50 ฿253

-17.87%

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

$447 ¥2,971

$476 ฿16.1K

-6.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ¥109.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

46.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.73 ¥231

$62.4 ฿2,104

-44.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.39 ¥142

$28.41 ฿958

-24.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.7 ¥430

$94.3 ฿3,181

-31.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.75 ¥304

$85.8 ฿2,895

-46.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,214

$716 ฿24.2K

-53.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ¥786

$491 ฿16.6K

-75.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 ¥5,068

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-60.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 ¥1,803

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-81.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,030 ¥20.2K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-27.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 ¥13.2K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-34.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$588 ¥3,914

$502 ฿16.9K

17.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

5.57

-43.81%

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

Last update for Zhoushan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhoushan

$212 34%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.7% $54

Accommodation & Living

Zhoushan

$118 19%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 316% $373

Eating Out

Zhoushan

$85 13.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhoushan

$76 12.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 64.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Zhoushan

$75 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Zhoushan

$37 6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 120% $45

Getting Around

Zhoushan

$20 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 253% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $333 in Zhoushan and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhoushan pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Zhoushan vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $266 per month, with Zhoushan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhoushan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

23:30 11:30 PM

1 h behind Zhoushan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,157,817

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zhoushan Phuket 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhoushan
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

Zhoushan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoushan is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Zhoushan, 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: $333 in Zhoushan versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $447 in Zhoushan 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 26% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $623 in Zhoushan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zhoushan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zhoushan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Zhoushan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.