Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $634 a month against $1,301 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
Learn more

Jinan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$634

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,301

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $634 per month in Jinan vs $1,301 in Phuket, rent included.

Jinan $634
Phuket $1,301

A couple spends around $1,055 per month in Jinan vs $2,238 in Phuket, rent included.

Jinan $1,055
Phuket $2,238

A family of three spends $1,475 per month in Jinan vs $3,175 in Phuket, rent included.

Jinan $1,475
Phuket $3,175

Jinan is about 51% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jinan and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Jinan 53% lower, Phuket 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.51 ¥16.71

$4.47 ฿150

-43.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.44 ¥163

$32.98 ฿1,108

-25.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ¥32.92

$8.46 ฿284

-41.61%

Cappuccino

$2.66 ¥17.73

$2.74 ฿92.0

-2.92%

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

$0.44 ¥2.91

$0.97 ฿32.57

-54.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$0.55 ฿18.54

-61.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.25

$2.53 ฿85.0

-62.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$3.68 ฿124

-59.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥10.86

$1.67 ฿56.2

-2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ¥9.50

$1.41 ฿47.46

1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.60 ฿53.8

-23.13%

Eggs

$1.07 ¥7.12

$2.17 ฿72.9

-50.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.2

$19.79 ฿665

-40.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.25 ¥21.67

$3.38 ฿114

-3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.87 ¥65.8

$11.03 ฿371

-10.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.18

$2.93 ฿98.4

-52.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.10

$1.69 ฿56.9

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.11

$2.29 ฿77.0

-40.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.38

$2.15 ฿72.4

-48.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.52 ฿51.1

-58.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$1.32 ฿44.36

-47.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 ¥3.55

$1.12 ฿37.75

-52.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.17

$0.52 ฿17.46

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.41

$4.33 ฿145

-12.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 ¥65.5

$18.47 ฿621

-46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥4.50

$1.76 ฿59.3

-61.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$2.78 ฿93.4

-52.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.47 ฿49.33

-80.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.98 ¥59.9

$55.1 ฿1,852

-83.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ¥10.78

$1.52 ฿51.1

6.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.73 ฿24.46

-63.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.11

$3.83 ฿129

14.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.83

$1.48 ฿49.76

-10.81%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$27.0K ฿907.3K

-27.19%

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

$15.1K ¥100.4K

$26.5K ฿891.1K

-43.23%

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

$74.0 ¥493

$101 ฿3,383

-26.51%

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

$6.98 ¥46.57

$11.17 ฿375

-37.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.02 ¥33.47

$17.33 ฿582

-71.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.78 ¥159

$72.6 ฿2,438

-67.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.63 ¥57.5

$15.26 ฿513

-43.45%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 ¥34.20

$7.86 ฿264

-34.73%

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

$221 ¥1,472

$542 ฿18.2K

-59.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K ¥134.6K

$18.8K ฿631.2K

7.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.35 ¥229

$62.5 ฿2,100

-45.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.59 ¥257

$28.83 ฿969

33.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ¥472

$98.0 ฿3,294

-27.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 ¥466

$89.1 ฿2,994

-21.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ¥1,697

$738 ฿24.8K

-65.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 ¥962

$503 ฿16.9K

-71.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 ¥3,969

$1,941 ฿65.2K

-69.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,475

$1,424 ฿47.9K

-73.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,484 ¥16.6K

$4,216 ฿141.7K

-41.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,306 ¥8,710

$3,296 ฿110.7K

-60.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$983 ¥6,556

$496 ฿16.7K

98.29%

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 Jinan: November 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinan

$184 29%

Phuket

$269 20.7% 46.7% $86

Accommodation & Living

Jinan

$144 22.8%

Phuket

$503 38.6% 248% $358

Clothing & Footwear

Jinan

$96 15.2%

Phuket

$125 9.6% 30.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinan

$86 13.6%

Phuket

$129 9.9% 50.2% $43

Eating Out

Jinan

$77 12.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 55.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Jinan

$34 5.4%

Phuket

$88 6.8% 159% $54

Getting Around

Jinan

$13 2.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 405% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $254 in Jinan versus $738 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 98% higher in Jinan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Jinan versus $33 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $269 – making Jinan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jinan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

1 h behind Jinan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,202,432

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 33.6 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jinan Phuket 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Jinan
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

Jinan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 105% more than Jinan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $951 per month in Jinan and $1,951 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jinan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $738 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Jinan and $33 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $634 in Jinan and $1,301 in Phuket. That makes Jinan about 51% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jinan, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Phuket at $1,301. In Jinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jinan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Jinan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.