Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jinan

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
Learn more

Jinan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,301

/mo nomad

Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jinan

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

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

Phuket $1,301
Jinan $634

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

Phuket $2,238
Jinan $1,055

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

Phuket $3,175
Jinan $1,475

Phuket costs about 105% more than Jinan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿150

$2.51 ¥16.71

78.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.98 ฿1,108

$24.44 ¥163

34.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 ฿284

$4.94 ¥32.92

71.26%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ฿92.0

$2.66 ¥17.73

3.01%

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

$0.97 ฿32.57

$0.44 ¥2.91

120.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.54

$0.21 ¥1.40

161.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$0.94 ¥6.25

169.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.48 ¥9.90

148.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿56.2

$1.63 ¥10.86

2.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.43 ¥9.50

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.23 ¥8.23

30.08%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.9

$1.07 ¥7.12

102.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.79 ฿665

$11.73 ¥78.2

68.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ฿114

$3.25 ¥21.67

4.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ฿371

$9.87 ¥65.8

11.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.4

$1.38 ¥9.18

112.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.06 ¥7.10

59.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿77.0

$1.37 ¥9.11

67.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿72.4

$1.11 ¥7.38

93.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.1

$0.63 ¥4.19

141.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.36

$0.69 ¥4.57

91.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.75

$0.53 ¥3.55

111.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.46

$0.63 ¥4.17

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.81 ¥25.41

13.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 ฿621

$9.82 ¥65.5

88.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿59.3

$0.67 ¥4.50

162.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.4

$1.32 ¥8.81

110.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ฿49.33

$0.29 ¥1.92

406.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 ฿1,852

$8.98 ¥59.9

513.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ฿51.1

$1.62 ¥10.78

-6.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ฿24.46

$0.27 ¥1.81

170.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿129

$4.37 ¥29.11

-12.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.76

$1.32 ¥8.83

12.12%

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

$27.0K ฿907.3K

$19.7K ¥131.1K

37.34%

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

$26.5K ฿891.1K

$15.1K ¥100.4K

76.16%

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

$101 ฿3,383

$74.0 ¥493

36.08%

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

$11.17 ฿375

$6.98 ¥46.57

60.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.33 ฿582

$5.02 ¥33.47

245.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ฿2,438

$23.78 ¥159

205.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.26 ฿513

$8.63 ¥57.5

76.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 ฿264

$5.13 ¥34.20

53.22%

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

$542 ฿18.2K

$221 ¥1,472

145.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.2K

$20.2K ¥134.6K

-6.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 ฿2,100

$34.35 ¥229

81.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.83 ฿969

$38.59 ¥257

-25.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,294

$70.8 ¥472

38.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.1 ฿2,994

$69.9 ¥466

27.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.8K

$254 ¥1,697

190.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿16.9K

$144 ¥962

248.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 ฿65.2K

$595 ¥3,969

226.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 ฿47.9K

$371 ¥2,475

283.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 ฿141.7K

$2,484 ¥16.6K

69.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,296 ฿110.7K

$1,306 ¥8,710

152.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 ฿16.7K

$983 ¥6,556

-49.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.13

77.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 9, 2026

Last update for Jinan: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$503 38.6%

Jinan

$144 22.8% 71.3% $358

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 20.7%

Jinan

$184 29% 31.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$129 9.9%

Jinan

$86 13.6% 33.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 9.6%

Jinan

$96 15.2% 23.3% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Jinan

$77 12.1% 35.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$88 6.8%

Jinan

$34 5.4% 61.4% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Jinan

$13 2.1% 80.2% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $738 in Phuket versus $254 in Jinan. 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 $33 in Phuket versus $24 in Jinan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $184 – making Jinan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Jinan

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,202,432

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 33.6 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Jinan 3,720 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jinan

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

Phuket vs Jinan: 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 $1,951 per month in Phuket and $951 in Jinan. 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 $33 in Phuket and $24 in Jinan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,301 in Phuket and $634 in Jinan. 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.