Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yantai Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yantai

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $734 in Yantai.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,151 in Yantai.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,567 in Yantai.

Living in Phuket is roughly 72% more expensive than Yantai, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yantai 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$3.31 ¥22.42

41.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$18.05 ¥122

151.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$4.56 ¥30.87

84.87%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.43 ¥23.23

-14.58%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$0.48 ¥3.24

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.29 ¥1.96

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$0.88 ¥5.94

173.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.14 ¥14.49

73.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.95 ¥13.20

14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.48 ¥10.04

23.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$0.63 ¥4.28

244.44%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$1.30 ¥8.79

70.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$14.84 ¥100

33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$4.23 ¥28.62

-14.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$7.48 ¥50.6

80.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$1.37 ¥9.26

139.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$0.89 ¥6.00

80.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$1.22 ¥8.23

97.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.05 ¥7.12

98.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$0.73 ¥4.96

109.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$1.08 ¥7.29

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$0.60 ¥4.07

65.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.47 ¥3.18

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.99 ¥27.04

10.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$14.38 ¥97.4

34.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.04 ¥7.04

71.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$1.58 ¥10.67

71.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$0.27 ¥1.81

407.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$16.62 ¥113

-31.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$1.40 ¥9.50

115.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$0.22 ¥1.48

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$5.97 ¥40.42

136.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.12 ¥7.56

21.43%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$20.1K ¥136.2K

40.12%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$13.4K ¥90.7K

145.64%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$51.7 ¥350

135.40%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$10.98 ¥74.3

23.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$10.55 ¥71.4

73.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$27.70 ¥187

117.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$6.81 ¥46.06

151.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$4.92 ¥33.33

76.63%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$333 ¥2,254

108.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$23.5K ¥159.1K

-33.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$77.8 ¥527

-23.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$38.62 ¥261

-9.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$80.9 ¥548

41.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$99.6 ¥674

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$140 ¥949

337.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$188 ¥1,272

132.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$389 ¥2,635

437.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$366 ¥2,476

312.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$3,186 ¥21.6K

17.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$6,534 ¥44.2K

-59.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$1,106 ¥7,489

-54.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.81

39.90%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Yantai: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $140 in Yantai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yantai pays 118% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Yantai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $202 per month, with Yantai 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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yantai is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Yantai earns 118% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $140 in Yantai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $333 in Yantai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $734 in Yantai versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yantai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yantai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yantai 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 Yantai 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 Yantai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.