Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shenyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $708 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shenyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $708 in Shenyang.

Phuket $1,278
Shenyang $708

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,046 in Shenyang.

Phuket $2,216
Shenyang $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,384 in Shenyang.

Phuket $3,154
Shenyang $1,384

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.97 ¥19.72

50.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$22.45 ¥149

44.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.40 ¥35.89

63.15%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.50 ¥16.64

13.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.47 ¥3.10

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.39 ¥2.57

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.86 ¥5.72

197.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.89 ¥12.54

94.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.00 ¥13.31

-17.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.38 ¥15.80

-38.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.08 ¥7.18

38.89%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.07 ¥7.09

95.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.93 ¥79.2

-8.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.79 ¥11.90

63.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.17 ¥7.75

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.47 ¥9.76

41.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.62 ¥4.12

72.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.64 ¥4.28

-18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.69 ¥24.52

13.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.70 ¥111

12.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.68 ¥4.54

167.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.13 ¥7.52

151.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.29 ¥1.90

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$14.87 ¥98.8

281.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.38 ¥9.15

118.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.31 ¥2.07

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.06 ¥20.31

20.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.30 ¥8.64

13.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$19.4K ¥128.7K

38.22%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$17.5K ¥116.0K

52.94%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$76.2 ¥506

26.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.50 ¥103

-27.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$14.86 ¥98.7

13.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$22.51 ¥150

198.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.68 ¥71.0

0.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.88 ¥39.04

27.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$549 ¥3,650

-13.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$21.9K ¥145.4K

-48.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$42.33 ¥281

47.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$60.9 ¥405

54.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$70.1 ¥466

22.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$226 ¥1,499

217.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$228 ¥1,514

115.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$538 ¥3,578

257.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$344 ¥2,287

315.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,814 ¥12.1K

130.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,102 ¥7,322

176.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,082 ¥7,190

-53.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.37

27.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shenyang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Shenyang

$228 32.2% 53.6% $263

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Shenyang

$161 * 22.7% 39.6% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Shenyang

$107 15.1% 14.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shenyang

$78 * 11% 36% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shenyang

$81 11.5% 33% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Shenyang

$34 4.8% 58.3% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Shenyang

$19 2.7% 73.1% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $226 in Shenyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenyang pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $22 in Shenyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $161 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,199,601

💱 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Shenyang 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shenyang

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 Shenyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenyang is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $226 in Shenyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $549 in Shenyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Shenyang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang 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.

Expats usually find Shenyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.