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Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shantou Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shantou

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Phuket is 26.1% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 81.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Phuket is 62.3% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 119.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.51 เธฟ142
$2.14 ยฅ14.98
110.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.08 เธฟ1,448
$16.46 ยฅ115
179.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.78 เธฟ276
$4.78 ยฅ33.41
83.68%
Cappuccino
$3.09 เธฟ97.0
$3.23 ยฅ22.59
-4.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 เธฟ21.96
$0.45 ยฅ3.14
55.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 เธฟ12.46
$0.28 ยฅ1.93
42.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.40 เธฟ75.5
$0.87 ยฅ6.11
175.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 เธฟ116
$2.73 ยฅ19.06
34.80%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 เธฟ70.6
$1.64 ยฅ11.45
37.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 เธฟ58.8
$1.43 ยฅ9.99
30.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 เธฟ69.8
$0.67 ยฅ4.68
231.34%
Eggs
$2.23 เธฟ70.1
$1.92 ยฅ13.42
16.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.68 เธฟ619
$12.55 ยฅ87.7
56.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.66 เธฟ115
$3.91 ยฅ27.35
-6.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.09 เธฟ411
$12.25 ยฅ85.6
6.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 เธฟ106
$1.88 ยฅ13.12
79.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 เธฟ53.2
$1.47 ยฅ10.28
14.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 เธฟ73.2
$1.63 ยฅ11.42
42.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 เธฟ62.4
$1.24 ยฅ8.65
59.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 เธฟ48.76
$0.79 ยฅ5.49
96.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 เธฟ47.41
$0.93 ยฅ6.53
62.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 เธฟ30.83
$0.69 ยฅ4.79
42.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 เธฟ15.01
$0.44 ยฅ3.04
9.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.35 เธฟ137
$3.41 ยฅ23.81
27.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.65 เธฟ649
$11.82 ยฅ82.6
74.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 เธฟ55.8
$0.83 ยฅ5.83
113.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 เธฟ86.6
$1.88 ยฅ13.12
46.28%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 เธฟ43.18
$0.37 ยฅ2.57
270.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.36 เธฟ357
$21.87 ยฅ153
-48.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 เธฟ97.7
$1.55 ยฅ10.81
100.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 เธฟ32.95
$0.33 ยฅ2.30
218.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.72 เธฟ431
$6.73 ยฅ47.05
103.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 เธฟ42.14
$1.13 ยฅ7.91
18.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K เธฟ869.3K
$21.1K ยฅ147.8K
30.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K เธฟ1.1M
$19.4K ยฅ135.9K
72.83%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 เธฟ3,834
$53.1 ยฅ371
129.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 เธฟ428
$8.21 ยฅ57.4
65.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.49 เธฟ581
$12.70 ยฅ88.8
45.59%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.7 เธฟ1,939
$42.18 ยฅ295
46.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.70 เธฟ525
$13.99 ยฅ97.8
19.37%
Cinema Ticket
$9.09 เธฟ286
$6.91 ยฅ48.32
31.55%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$702 เธฟ22.1K
$466 ยฅ3,259
50.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K เธฟ502.6K
$20.6K ยฅ143.7K
-22.23%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 เธฟ1,851
$48.66 ยฅ340
21.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.41 เธฟ1,081
$30.96 ยฅ216
11.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 เธฟ3,544
$75.8 ยฅ530
48.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 เธฟ2,661
$78.6 ยฅ550
7.66%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$606 เธฟ19.0K
$278 ยฅ1,946
117.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$435 เธฟ13.7K
$140 ยฅ975
211.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,069 เธฟ65.0K
$548 ยฅ3,829
277.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,473 เธฟ46.3K
$274 ยฅ1,913
437.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,445 เธฟ139.7K
$2,152 ยฅ15.0K
106.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 เธฟ93.9K
$4,238 ยฅ29.6K
-29.51%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Shantou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$547 เธฟ17.2K
$1,015 ยฅ7,098
-46.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
4.04
31.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: January 13, 2026

Last update for Shantou: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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