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 $703 in Qiqihar.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Phuket versus $1,128 in Qiqihar.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,310 in Phuket versus $1,553 in Qiqihar.

Living in Phuket is roughly 79% more expensive than Qiqihar, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Qiqihar 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿150

$2.86 ¥19.34

59.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 ฿1,535

$21.83 ¥148

113.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 ฿279

$4.89 ¥33.09

73.21%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ฿99.7

$3.08 ¥20.89

-1.62%

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

$0.69 ฿22.69

$0.47 ¥3.20

46.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.04

$0.27 ¥1.80

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ฿81.9

$0.93 ¥6.30

167.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿120

$2.04 ¥13.84

79.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿71.8

$1.85 ¥12.52

17.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ฿62.6

$1.54 ¥10.40

23.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ฿72.4

$0.97 ¥6.56

126.80%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿73.2

$1.59 ¥10.80

39.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.99 ฿658

$12.82 ¥86.8

55.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿121

$3.24 ¥21.92

12.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 ฿436

$10.13 ¥68.6

30.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿106

$1.89 ¥12.79

70.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿55.9

$1.21 ¥8.18

40.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿78.8

$1.54 ¥10.44

55.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.4

$1.11 ¥7.50

87.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿52.4

$0.75 ¥5.06

112.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.83

$0.91 ¥6.17

62.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.90

$0.59 ¥4.02

74.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.01

$0.54 ¥3.66

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿140

$3.11 ¥21.08

36.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿618

$10.41 ¥70.5

80.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿57.8

$0.79 ¥5.35

122.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿90.8

$1.60 ¥10.87

72.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ฿44.79

$0.29 ¥1.97

368.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿374

$16.83 ¥114

-32.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ฿103

$1.42 ¥9.59

121.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿34.10

$0.35 ¥2.38

197.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 ฿453

$6.57 ¥44.52

109.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.26

$1.13 ¥7.64

18.58%

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

$27.7K ฿911.1K

$19.1K ¥129.1K

45.22%

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

$33.9K ฿1.1M

$17.2K ¥116.5K

96.92%

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

$124 ฿4,069

$45.56 ¥309

171.27%

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

$13.52 ฿445

$9.72 ¥65.8

39.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 ฿615

$11.74 ¥79.5

59.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.8 ฿2,035

$40.99 ¥278

50.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿568

$14.07 ¥95.3

22.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.14 ฿301

$5.83 ¥39.49

56.78%

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

$703 ฿23.1K

$337 ¥2,285

108.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ฿522.5K

$16.5K ¥112.0K

-4.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,958

$44.13 ¥299

34.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 ฿1,154

$30.83 ¥209

13.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,795

$72.2 ¥489

59.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ฿2,767

$71.8 ¥486

17.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.4K

$280 ¥1,897

120.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 ฿14.2K

$192 ¥1,302

124.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 ฿67.9K

$592 ¥4,012

248.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 ฿49.7K

$356 ¥2,414

323.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿120.0K

$3,005 ¥20.3K

21.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,626 ฿86.4K

$2,031 ¥13.8K

29.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.7K

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Qiqihar: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $280 in Qiqihar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Qiqihar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 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 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,892 in Phuket and $1,055 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: $619 in Phuket versus $280 in Qiqihar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $703 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 48% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $703 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 79% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.