Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qiqihar Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qiqihar

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $723 in Qiqihar.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $1,138 in Qiqihar.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,291 in Phuket versus $1,553 in Qiqihar.

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than in Qiqihar, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Qiqihar 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ฿152

$2.83 ¥19.09

60.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.36 ฿1,558

$21.29 ¥144

117.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 ฿291

$4.99 ¥33.70

73.35%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿104

$2.98 ¥20.13

3.69%

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

$0.68 ฿22.79

$0.47 ¥3.16

44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.38

$0.29 ¥1.98

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.2

$0.89 ¥5.98

171.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ฿128

$2.04 ¥13.77

86.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿73.2

$1.81 ¥12.25

20.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿61.1

$1.61 ¥10.84

13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿73.2

$0.91 ¥6.12

139.56%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿75.1

$1.61 ¥10.86

39.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.93 ฿670

$12.67 ¥85.6

57.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ฿122

$3.25 ¥21.97

12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿456

$10.07 ¥68.0

34.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$1.86 ¥12.56

76.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.22 ¥8.23

38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿78.4

$1.54 ¥10.43

51.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$1.09 ¥7.35

86.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.74 ¥4.99

116.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.89 ¥6.04

67.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿34.02

$0.57 ¥3.84

77.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.02

$0.52 ¥3.50

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿150

$3.11 ¥21.03

43.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.63 ฿626

$10.67 ¥72.1

74.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿60.0

$0.80 ¥5.42

123.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ฿94.0

$1.60 ¥10.83

75.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.69

$0.27 ¥1.80

425.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.33 ฿381

$16.55 ¥112

-31.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ฿104

$1.41 ¥9.51

119.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.03

$0.35 ¥2.38

197.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.63 ฿458

$6.52 ¥44.05

109.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.03

$1.12 ¥7.56

16.96%

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

$27.3K ฿916.6K

$19.8K ¥133.5K

38.04%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$17.3K ¥116.6K

92.44%

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

$123 ฿4,138

$45.67 ¥308

169.67%

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

$13.81 ฿464

$9.70 ¥65.5

42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿622

$11.79 ¥79.6

57.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ฿2,028

$42.58 ¥288

41.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 ฿564

$14.13 ¥95.5

18.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ฿299

$6.09 ¥41.14

45.98%

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

$687 ฿23.1K

$337 ¥2,276

103.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿522.5K

$17.0K ¥114.8K

-8.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,936

$42.93 ¥290

34.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.66 ฿1,165

$30.11 ¥203

15.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,861

$72.5 ¥490

58.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 ฿2,853

$72.0 ¥486

18.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ฿20.7K

$282 ¥1,905

118.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 ฿14.9K

$192 ¥1,294

131.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 ฿68.8K

$594 ¥4,011

244.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 ฿50.6K

$359 ¥2,422

320.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,568 ฿119.9K

$2,987 ¥20.2K

19.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,511 ฿84.4K

$2,040 ¥13.8K

23.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.9K

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: July 20, 2026

Last update for Qiqihar: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $618 in Phuket and $282 in Qiqihar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Qiqihar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $198 per month, with Qiqihar 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 Qiqihar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qiqihar is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,891 in Phuket and $1,084 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: $618 in Phuket versus $282 in Qiqihar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 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 47% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $723 in Qiqihar versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $1,500 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.

For families, Qiqihar 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 Qiqihar 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 Qiqihar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.