Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongying and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongying: $709 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Dongying
Learn more

Dongying Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Dongying

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $709 in Dongying versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Dongying $709
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,128 in Dongying versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Dongying $1,128
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,547 in Dongying versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Dongying $1,547
Phuket $3,115

Living in Dongying costs roughly 45% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dongying 48% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.73 ¥18.17

$4.39 ฿147

-37.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.79 ¥145

$32.31 ฿1,078

-32.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.26

$8.70 ฿290

-44.25%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.97

$2.72 ฿90.9

10.29%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.93 ฿31.06

-49.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.50 ฿16.67

-46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.90 ¥5.97

$2.53 ฿84.5

-64.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ¥13.63

$3.63 ฿121

-43.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.92

$1.74 ฿58.1

2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥10.44

$1.45 ฿48.42

8.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.50 ฿50.1

-36.00%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.57

$2.17 ฿72.5

-26.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 ¥85.8

$19.09 ฿637

-32.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ¥20.76

$3.40 ฿113

-8.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.05 ¥66.9

$10.90 ฿364

-7.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.05

$2.94 ฿98.2

-38.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.09

$1.69 ฿56.5

-27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$2.19 ฿73.2

-30.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$2.12 ฿70.9

-48.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$1.46 ฿48.68

-52.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.91

$1.37 ฿45.66

-35.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.68

$1.08 ฿35.91

-49.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.55 ฿18.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ¥20.74

$4.43 ฿148

-29.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.54 ¥70.2

$18.25 ฿609

-42.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥5.02

$1.77 ฿59.2

-57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.06

$2.88 ฿96.2

-42.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.45 ฿48.32

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.81 ¥112

$54.9 ฿1,832

-69.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ¥9.50

$1.51 ฿50.5

-5.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.37

$0.78 ฿25.90

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.70 ¥44.62

$3.84 ฿128

74.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.49 ฿49.65

-22.15%

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

$19.7K ¥130.9K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

-26.84%

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

$17.1K ¥114.0K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-35.00%

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

$45.40 ¥302

$97.8 ฿3,265

-53.58%

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

$9.92 ¥66.0

$11.29 ฿377

-12.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.93 ¥79.4

$17.19 ฿574

-30.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.02 ¥273

$68.3 ฿2,281

-39.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 ¥91.7

$10.92 ฿365

26.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ¥38.58

$7.43 ฿248

-22.07%

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

$333 ¥2,217

$530 ฿17.7K

-37.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ¥110.3K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-11.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.38 ¥289

$61.7 ฿2,059

-29.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.64 ¥204

$28.25 ฿943

8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ¥475

$96.0 ฿3,204

-25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥470

$86.8 ฿2,898

-18.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥1,834

$721 ฿24.1K

-61.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥1,266

$509 ฿17.0K

-62.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 ¥3,880

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,420

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-73.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,976 ¥19.8K

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-29.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,056 ¥13.7K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-37.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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 Dongying: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongying

$197 27.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 35.5% $70

Accommodation & Living

Dongying

$190 26.8%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 168% $319

Clothing & Footwear

Dongying

$97 13.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 26.3% $26

Eating Out

Dongying

$84 11.8%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 42.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongying

$67 9.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 87.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Dongying

$53 7.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 58.1% $31

Getting Around

Dongying

$21 3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 212% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $275 in Dongying and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Dongying vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $267 per month, with Dongying cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongying

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h behind Dongying

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,035,300

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dongying Phuket 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongying
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

Dongying vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongying is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,064 in Dongying and $1,940 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: $275 in Dongying versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $333 in Dongying versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Dongying versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dongying but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dongying 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 Dongying gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.