Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krabi and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Krabi: $1,006 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Krabi
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Krabi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,006

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Krabi and in Shanghai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Krabi and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Krabi versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Krabi $1,006
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Krabi versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Krabi $1,391
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,775 in Krabi versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Krabi $1,775
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Krabi costs roughly 18% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Krabi 26% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ฿99.4

$4.53 ¥30.11

-35.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.85 ฿637

$30.16 ¥201

-37.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 ฿286

$5.11 ¥34.04

65.95%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ฿59.2

$3.41 ¥22.70

-48.68%

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

$1.05 ฿35.46

$0.58 ¥3.85

81.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ฿14.56

$0.35 ¥2.36

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ฿60.5

$1.23 ¥8.22

45.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ฿78.5

$2.31 ¥15.37

0.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$1.88 ¥12.52

19.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.94 ¥12.88

-22.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.9

$0.98 ¥6.52

111.22%

Eggs

$1.88 ฿63.6

$1.70 ¥11.31

10.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ฿542

$17.02 ¥113

-5.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.2

$3.22 ¥21.41

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ฿264

$12.93 ¥86.0

-39.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ฿80.2

$2.15 ¥14.31

10.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.91

$1.73 ¥11.48

-40.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿74.7

$2.03 ¥13.51

8.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.56

$1.73 ¥11.54

-16.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.97

$0.83 ¥5.51

67.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.51

$0.92 ¥6.13

40.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.67 ¥4.48

119.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.59 ¥3.92

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 ฿153

$3.77 ¥25.10

20.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 ฿352

$11.03 ¥73.4

-5.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.9

$0.90 ¥6.00

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ฿83.1

$1.60 ¥10.67

53.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.57 ¥3.81

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 ฿79.1

$2.14 ¥14.25

9.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$0.47 ¥3.10

278.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.06 ฿205

$8.74 ¥58.2

-30.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿46.34

$1.34 ¥8.93

2.24%

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

$21.7K ฿733.6K

$19.3K ¥128.1K

12.84%

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

$24.4K ฿825.4K

$18.3K ¥121.7K

33.70%

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

$69.1 ฿2,333

$58.9 ¥392

17.30%

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

$11.47 ฿387

$7.90 ¥52.5

45.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.42 ฿825

$10.60 ¥70.5

130.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 ฿2,090

$64.8 ¥431

-4.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.09 ฿307

$17.47 ¥116

-47.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 ฿248

$9.06 ¥60.3

-19.09%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,136 ฿274.7K

$28.2K ¥187.9K

-71.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.70 ฿496

$54.6 ¥363

-73.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.01 ฿507

$37.21 ¥248

-59.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ฿2,509

$74.6 ¥496

-0.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 ฿2,515

$106 ¥707

-29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 ฿11.5K

$1,026 ¥6,826

-66.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ฿14.0K

$559 ¥3,722

-25.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 ฿23.6K

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-73.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$1,191 ¥7,926

-57.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,186 ฿40.1K

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-91.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ฿34.4K

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-84.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ฿23.9K

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-58.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

3.36

120.24%

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

Last update for Krabi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krabi

$414 41.1%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 35.1% $145

Groceries & Markets

Krabi

$226 22.5%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 4.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krabi

$105 10.4%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 26.3% $28

Eating Out

Krabi

$90 8.9%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 19.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Krabi

$80 8%

Shanghai

$123 10% 52.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Krabi

$77 7.6%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 8.3% $6.4

Getting Around

Krabi

$15 * 1.5%

Shanghai

$36 3% 143% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $339 in Krabi and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Krabi vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $237 per month, with Krabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Krabi

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

20:30 8:30 PM

1 h ahead of Krabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Krabi Shanghai 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Krabi
Shanghai

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

Krabi vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Krabi and Shanghai differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,006 vs $1,222 including rent). Krabi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Krabi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $339 in Krabi versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Krabi – a meal for two runs $19 versus $30 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,006 per month in Krabi versus $1,222 in Shanghai – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Krabi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Krabi wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.