Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Weihai

For one person, living is cheaper in Weihai: $625 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Weihai
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Weihai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Weihai

🇨🇳 China

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Weihai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $625 in Weihai.

Phuket $1,207
Weihai $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $949 in Weihai.

Phuket $2,037
Weihai $949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,273 in Weihai.

Phuket $2,867
Weihai $1,273

Living in Phuket is roughly 93% more expensive than in Weihai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Weihai 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.64 ¥17.68

73.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$16.28 ¥109

99.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.60 ¥30.79

85.87%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.77 ¥18.55

-1.81%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.50 ¥3.35

88.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.30 ¥2.00

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.10 ¥7.37

135.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.54 ¥16.96

50.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.30 ¥8.70

33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.41 ¥9.43

1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.98 ¥6.57

56.12%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$0.94 ¥6.26

130.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.45 ¥69.9

83.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.79 ¥25.33

-12.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$9.99 ¥66.8

11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.03 ¥6.87

186.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.81 ¥5.39

107.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.52 ¥10.15

51.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.26 ¥8.40

69.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.46 ¥3.09

232.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.43 ¥2.90

216.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.72 ¥4.81

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.65 ¥4.34

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.93 ¥26.25

8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.37 ¥49.27

146.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.43 ¥2.86

304.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.55 ¥10.38

80.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.23 ¥1.54

865.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$13.50 ¥90.3

63.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.22 ¥8.18

138.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.27 ¥1.81

274.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.49 ¥50.1

-48.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.20 ¥8.04

24.17%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

36.29%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

61.58%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$45.07 ¥301

120.48%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$6.89 ¥46.10

63.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$7.53 ¥50.3

130.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$55.4 ¥370

-5.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$9.03 ¥60.4

20.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.96 ¥33.14

52.62%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$302 ¥2,016

85.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$17.6K ¥118.0K

-34.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$51.3 ¥343

22.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$29.56 ¥198

-3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$74.5 ¥498

28.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$45.69 ¥305

92.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$196 ¥1,312

271.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$140 ¥937

228.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$326 ¥2,181

542.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$196 ¥1,307

525.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,796 ¥12.0K

92.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,122 ¥7,499

121.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$617 ¥4,123

-20.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.37

65.28%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Weihai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Weihai

$140 22.4% 69.5% $320

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Weihai

$170 27.3% 36.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Weihai

$59 9.5% 53.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Weihai

$90 14.5% 27.1% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Weihai

$82 13.1% 32.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Weihai

$65 10.5% 3.2% $2.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Weihai

$17 2.7% 56.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $196 in Weihai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Weihai pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $16.00 in Weihai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $170 per month, with Weihai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Weihai

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,804,800

💱 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 Weihai 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Weihai

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 Weihai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Weihai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Weihai. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $196 in Weihai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $302 in Weihai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $625 in Weihai versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Weihai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Weihai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Weihai 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 Weihai 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 Weihai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.