Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dalian Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dalian

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $798 in Dalian.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,254 in Dalian.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,711 in Dalian.

Living in Phuket is roughly 54% more expensive than Dalian, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Dalian 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$3.40 ¥23.29

36.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$24.55 ¥168

90.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.97 ¥34.03

77.87%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.13 ¥21.42

-4.15%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.51 ¥3.48

45.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.24 ¥1.64

54.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$0.82 ¥5.64

197.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$1.54 ¥10.55

134.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.60 ¥10.94

41.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.45 ¥9.93

26.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.91 ¥6.24

146.15%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.01 ¥13.78

15.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$19.42 ¥133

1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.69 ¥18.44

35.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$10.20 ¥69.9

28.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.28 ¥8.78

164.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.16 ¥7.91

41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.33 ¥9.09

81.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$0.71 ¥4.86

185.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.67 ¥4.61

132.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.72 ¥4.91

108.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.75 ¥5.17

36.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.60 ¥4.13

-18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.42 ¥23.46

30.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$17.45 ¥120

8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.83 ¥5.70

114.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.51 ¥10.36

82.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.29 ¥2.01

382.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$27.80 ¥190

-58.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.36 ¥9.33

129.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.40 ¥2.72

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$4.04 ¥27.69

248.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.15 ¥7.87

17.39%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$17.8K ¥122.2K

52.41%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.0K ¥109.7K

105.59%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$43.53 ¥298

187.11%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.10 ¥62.3

49.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$11.45 ¥78.4

61.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$36.04 ¥247

70.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$23.92 ¥164

-29.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$6.44 ¥44.10

42.70%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$455 ¥3,118

53.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$9,374 ¥64.2K

66.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$56.4 ¥386

2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$51.6 ¥354

-31.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$107 ¥734

5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$95.1 ¥651

-9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$352 ¥2,412

74.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$207 ¥1,418

115.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$636 ¥4,357

221.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$365 ¥2,498

309.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$2,664 ¥18.3K

41.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,650 ¥11.3K

60.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,098 ¥7,523

-52.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.18

27.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Dalian: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $352 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 110% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $25.00 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $222 per month, with Dalian cheaper across the board.

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

Phuket vs Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Dalian differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,232 vs $798 including rent). Dalian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Dalian earns 110% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $352 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $455 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $798 in Dalian versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dalian but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dalian 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Dalian are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dalian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.