Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Linyi Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Linyi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $609 in Linyi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,020 in Linyi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,430 in Linyi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 102% more expensive than Linyi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Linyi 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$3.89 ¥26.63

19.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$30.27 ¥207

54.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$6.37 ¥43.61

38.78%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.23 ¥22.14

-7.12%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.57 ¥3.92

29.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.27 ¥1.86

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.09 ¥7.44

123.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.11 ¥14.48

71.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.72 ¥11.80

31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.53 ¥10.45

20.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.41 ¥2.81

446.34%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.28 ¥8.73

81.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$12.79 ¥87.6

53.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.10 ¥21.20

17.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$11.32 ¥77.5

15.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.03 ¥7.05

229.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$0.94 ¥6.45

74.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$0.81 ¥5.56

197.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.10 ¥7.51

84.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.73 ¥4.98

113.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.39 ¥2.70

284.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.61 ¥4.15

67.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.62 ¥4.23

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.06 ¥20.96

45.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$10.04 ¥68.8

88.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.58 ¥3.94

206.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.28 ¥8.77

114.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.29 ¥1.99

382.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$16.77 ¥115

-31.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.37 ¥9.40

127.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.33 ¥2.24

203.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$6.48 ¥44.39

117.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.09 ¥7.48

23.85%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$13.6K ¥93.5K

99.17%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.9K ¥116.1K

94.27%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$45.33 ¥311

175.71%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.71 ¥66.5

39.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$11.63 ¥79.6

59.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$18.30 ¥125

235.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$13.98 ¥95.8

20.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$6.21 ¥42.55

47.99%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$197 ¥1,351

254.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$6,342 ¥43.4K

145.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$70.7 ¥484

-18.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$24.60 ¥169

43.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$77.4 ¥530

46.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$72.9 ¥499

18.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$156 ¥1,066

295.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$91.9 ¥630

385.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$317 ¥2,171

546.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$223 ¥1,526

569.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,037 ¥7,102

155.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$793 ¥5,429

-33.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.87

37.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Linyi: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $156 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linyi pays 51% 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 $30.00 in Linyi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $185 per month, with Linyi 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 Linyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linyi wins on cost – living expenses run 102% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Linyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Linyi earns 51% 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 $156 in Linyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $197 in Linyi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $609 in Linyi versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Linyi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Linyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Linyi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $609 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Linyi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Linyi 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 Linyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.