Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qiqihar

For one person, living is cheaper in Qiqihar: $719 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Qiqihar
Learn more

Qiqihar Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Qiqihar

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Qiqihar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $719 in Qiqihar.

Phuket $1,278
Qiqihar $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,135 in Qiqihar.

Phuket $2,216
Qiqihar $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,550 in Qiqihar.

Phuket $3,154
Qiqihar $1,550

Living in Phuket is roughly 78% more expensive than in Qiqihar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Qiqihar 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.83 ¥18.82

57.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$21.34 ¥142

51.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.79 ¥31.91

83.92%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.99 ¥19.87

-5.35%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.47 ¥3.14

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.27 ¥1.78

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.95 ¥6.33

169.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.03 ¥13.51

81.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.88 ¥12.49

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.60 ¥10.64

-8.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.96 ¥6.40

56.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.60 ¥10.65

30.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.06 ¥86.9

46.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.11 ¥20.70

6.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.22 ¥68.0

6.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.86 ¥12.35

57.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.26 ¥8.42

34.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.54 ¥10.27

46.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.09 ¥7.24

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.71 ¥4.72

112.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.91 ¥6.08

51.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.56 ¥3.74

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.52 ¥3.46

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.16 ¥21.04

32.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.66 ¥71.0

76.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.80 ¥5.32

127.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.61 ¥10.70

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.29 ¥1.95

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$16.54 ¥110

242.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.38 ¥9.16

118.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.33 ¥2.18

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.78 ¥45.11

-45.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.13 ¥7.54

30.09%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

37.63%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$17.5K ¥116.2K

52.81%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$45.64 ¥304

111.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.04 ¥66.8

12.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$11.64 ¥77.5

44.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$42.48 ¥283

58.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.10 ¥93.9

-23.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.75 ¥38.28

30.43%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$337 ¥2,240

41.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

-33.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$43.67 ¥291

42.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.41 ¥202

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$70.7 ¥470

33.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$71.4 ¥475

20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$283 ¥1,882

153.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$196 ¥1,301

151.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$593 ¥3,944

225.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$358 ¥2,380

300.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,050 ¥20.3K

36.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,996 ¥13.3K

52.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qiqihar: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Qiqihar

$196 27.2% 60.2% $295

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Qiqihar

$200 27.8% 24.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Qiqihar

$67 9.4% 45.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Qiqihar

$97 13.5% 20.2% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Qiqihar

$85 11.8% 30.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Qiqihar

$54 7.5% 34.4% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Qiqihar

$21 2.9% 70.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $283 in Qiqihar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $21 in Qiqihar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $200 per month, with Qiqihar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Qiqihar

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,367,003

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Qiqihar 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Qiqihar

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 Qiqihar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qiqihar is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,079 in Qiqihar 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: $716 in Phuket versus $283 in Qiqihar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $337 in Qiqihar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Qiqihar versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Qiqihar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Qiqihar 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 Qiqihar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Qiqihar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.