Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rizhao

For one person, living is cheaper in Rizhao: $667 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Rizhao
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Rizhao Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Rizhao

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rizhao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $667 in Rizhao.

Phuket $1,207
Rizhao $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,077 in Rizhao.

Phuket $2,037
Rizhao $1,077

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,487 in Rizhao.

Phuket $2,867
Rizhao $1,487

Living in Phuket is roughly 81% more expensive than in Rizhao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Rizhao 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.54 ¥16.95

80.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$19.14 ¥128

69.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.82 ¥32.21

77.39%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.95 ¥13.05

39.49%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.46 ¥3.10

104.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.23 ¥1.54

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.88 ¥5.87

194.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.98 ¥13.21

93.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.46 ¥9.78

19.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.48 ¥9.87

-3.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.46 ¥3.08

232.61%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.07 ¥7.14

102.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$11.73 ¥78.4

63.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.34 ¥22.32

-1.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.35 ¥75.9

-1.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.46 ¥9.78

102.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.02 ¥6.81

64.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$0.77 ¥5.17

198.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.14 ¥7.65

86.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.58 ¥3.87

163.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.68 ¥4.57

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.58 ¥3.85

93.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.63 ¥4.19

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.66 ¥24.45

16.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.99 ¥66.8

82.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.72 ¥4.81

141.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.36 ¥9.08

105.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.29 ¥1.93

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$17.44 ¥117

26.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.23 ¥8.20

136.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.25 ¥1.67

304.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.52 ¥30.21

-15.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.19 ¥7.92

25.21%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.1K ¥127.6K

39.77%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$14.8K ¥99.1K

80.22%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$73.5 ¥491

35.20%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$6.63 ¥44.30

70.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$5.18 ¥34.65

235.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$36.51 ¥244

43.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.25 ¥88.6

-18.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.36 ¥35.87

41.23%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$218 ¥1,458

155.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

-42.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$34.08 ¥228

84.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$43.15 ¥289

-33.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$71.2 ¥476

34.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$69.4 ¥464

26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$299 ¥1,999

143.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$163 ¥1,090

182.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$623 ¥4,167

236.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$375 ¥2,505

226.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,578 ¥23.9K

-3.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,144 ¥14.3K

16.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 Rizhao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Rizhao

$163 24.4% 64.6% $297

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Rizhao

$183 27.4% 31.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Rizhao

$85 12.8% 33.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Rizhao

$98 14.7% 21% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Rizhao

$69 10.4% 42.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Rizhao

$47 7.1% 29.9% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Rizhao

$21 3.2% 45.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $299 in Rizhao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $19.00 in Rizhao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $183 per month, with Rizhao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Rizhao

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,143,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Rizhao 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rizhao

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 Rizhao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rizhao is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,000 in Rizhao 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: $729 in Phuket versus $299 in Rizhao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $218 in Rizhao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $667 in Rizhao versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rizhao but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rizhao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rizhao 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 Rizhao 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 Rizhao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.