Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Liaocheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Liaocheng: $647 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Liaocheng
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Liaocheng Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Liaocheng

🇨🇳 China

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Liaocheng

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 Liaocheng actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $647 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Liaocheng $647

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,026 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Liaocheng $1,026

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,405 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Liaocheng $1,405

Phuket costs about 87% more than Liaocheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Liaocheng are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Liaocheng 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.55 ¥17.07

79.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$13.54 ¥90.5

139.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.80 ¥32.08

78.13%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.88 ¥12.58

44.68%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.39 ¥2.63

141.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.21 ¥1.40

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.84 ¥5.63

208.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.96 ¥13.12

95.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.50 ¥10.00

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.41 ¥9.41

1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.87 ¥5.80

75.86%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.06 ¥7.08

104.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$11.70 ¥78.2

63.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.93 ¥19.56

12.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.02 ¥73.7

1.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.45 ¥9.72

103.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.00 ¥6.71

68.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.37 ¥9.17

67.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.13 ¥7.56

88.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.59 ¥3.93

159.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.69 ¥4.59

97.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.57 ¥3.81

96.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.59 ¥3.93

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.25 ¥15.06

89.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.16 ¥67.9

79.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.72 ¥4.80

141.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.32 ¥8.83

111.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.31 ¥2.08

616.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$16.46 ¥110

34.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.21 ¥8.09

140.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.27 ¥1.81

274.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.39 ¥29.35

-12.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.09 ¥7.30

36.70%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

38.24%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$14.8K ¥99.0K

80.39%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$45.46 ¥304

118.59%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$6.08 ¥40.64

85.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$5.02 ¥33.59

245.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$41.58 ¥278

25.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$14.82 ¥99.1

-26.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.49 ¥30.05

68.60%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$213 ¥1,427

161.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$20.1K ¥134.3K

-42.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$33.89 ¥227

85.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$29.46 ¥197

-2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$71.9 ¥481

33.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$59.6 ¥399

47.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$281 ¥1,876

160.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$181 ¥1,209

154.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$546 ¥3,647

284.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$369 ¥2,470

230.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,489 ¥23.3K

-0.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,314 ¥8,788

89.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$572 ¥3,826

-13.84%

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Liaocheng: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Liaocheng

$181 28% 60.7% $279

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Liaocheng

$183 28.3% 31.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Liaocheng

$57 8.8% 55.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Liaocheng

$88 13.6% 29.3% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Liaocheng

$68 10.5% 44% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Liaocheng

$51 7.8% 25% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Liaocheng

$20 3.1% 47.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $281 in Liaocheng. 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 16% higher in Liaocheng, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $14.00 in Liaocheng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $183 – making Liaocheng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Liaocheng

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,230,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Liaocheng 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Liaocheng

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 Liaocheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $970 in Liaocheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liaocheng, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Liaocheng. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $213 in Liaocheng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Liaocheng, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Liaocheng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Liaocheng. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.