Frequent short direct flights and a fast-growing community make Phuket increasingly popular with Chinese families and investors. Here is the practical picture for 2026 — flights, your visa, what it costs versus home, and the community you will be joining.
*Currently 60 days; an approved cut to 30 is pending — verify before you travel.
Extensive direct service: Beijing (~6h10), Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Kunming on multiple carriers — one of Phuket’s best-connected source markets. Phuket International (HKT) sits in the island’s north — see our getting-around guide for the airport run.
Your nationality currently gets Thailand's 60-day visa exemption, with an approved cut to 30 days pending publication in the Royal Gazette — so verify the current limit before you travel. For anything longer you'll want a proper long-stay visa (retirement, DTV, LTR and more) — see our full visa comparison. China was upgraded from visa-on-arrival to the exemption scheme, so confirm current terms.
Phuket is the most expensive place to live in Thailand, but still far cheaper than most Western home countries — a single person lives comfortably on ฿50,000–70,000/month and a couple on ฿70,000–95,000, excluding international-school fees. Your home currency is the CNY (roughly 1 CNY ≈ 4.84 THB in 2026); the whole site has a currency switcher so you can see every price in CNY. Full numbers are in our Phuket cost-of-living guide.
The fastest-growing newer cohort and the second-largest non-ASEAN buyer group after Russians, with rising family relocations near the international schools. Find your area in the neighbourhoods guide.
Time zone: China is UTC+8, so Phuket is 1 hour behind.
Sort your visa pathway on the visa comparison, set a realistic budget with the cost guide, pick an area in the neighbourhoods guide, then run the free Phuket planner. When you land, the first 30 days checklist covers TDAC, the 90-day report, banking and a SIM.
Extensive direct service: Beijing (~6h10), Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Kunming on multiple carriers — one of Phuket’s best-connected source markets.
Your nationality currently gets Thailand’s 60-day visa exemption, but an approved reduction to 30 days is pending publication in the Royal Gazette, so verify the current limit before travelling. For longer stays, use a long-stay visa such as retirement, the DTV or LTR — see the visa comparison.
Phuket is the most expensive hub in Thailand but still well below most Western costs — a comfortable single budget is ฿50,000–70,000 a month and a couple ฿70,000–95,000, excluding international-school fees. The currency switcher shows every price in CNY.
The fastest-growing newer cohort and the second-largest non-ASEAN buyer group after Russians, with rising family relocations near the international schools.