Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dongying Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dongying

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $712 in Dongying.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,118 in Dongying.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,525 in Dongying.

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than Dongying, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Dongying 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.75 ¥18.87

68.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$21.78 ¥149

115.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$5.01 ¥34.35

76.45%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.93 ¥20.08

2.39%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.46 ¥3.18

60.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.27 ¥1.85

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$0.95 ¥6.53

156.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.05 ¥14.04

76.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.88 ¥12.88

20.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.56 ¥10.67

17.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.96 ¥6.58

133.33%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.55 ¥10.62

49.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$13.04 ¥89.3

50.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.25 ¥22.26

12.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$10.11 ¥69.3

29.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.81 ¥12.37

87.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.20 ¥8.22

36.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.53 ¥10.46

57.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.14 ¥7.81

78.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.74 ¥5.04

110.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.95 ¥6.50

57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.56 ¥3.85

82.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.51 ¥3.50

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.18 ¥21.79

39.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$10.41 ¥71.3

81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.76 ¥5.19

134.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.64 ¥11.26

67.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.27 ¥1.83

418.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$16.42 ¥112

-30.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.43 ¥9.79

118.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.35 ¥2.43

185.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$6.77 ¥46.41

108.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.13 ¥7.72

19.47%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$19.5K ¥133.8K

39.21%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$17.1K ¥117.4K

92.08%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$45.29 ¥310

175.95%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.97 ¥68.3

36.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$11.55 ¥79.1

60.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$42.33 ¥290

45.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$13.79 ¥94.5

22.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$5.82 ¥39.84

57.90%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$336 ¥2,303

107.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$16.6K ¥113.4K

-5.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$44.25 ¥303

30.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$30.93 ¥212

13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$70.9 ¥486

59.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$70.6 ¥484

22.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$277 ¥1,898

122.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$195 ¥1,339

128.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$582 ¥3,987

251.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$362 ¥2,480

312.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$3,016 ¥20.7K

25.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$2,060 ¥14.1K

28.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.89

37.02%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Dongying: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $277 in Dongying. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Dongying for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $199 per month, with Dongying 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 Dongying: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongying is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $1,067 in Dongying 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: $616 in Phuket versus $277 in Dongying. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $336 in Dongying. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $712 in Dongying versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,500 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.

For families, Dongying is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Dongying 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 Dongying gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.