Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yantai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $631 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Yantai
Learn more

Yantai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yantai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $631 in Yantai.

Phuket $1,278
Yantai $631

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $932 in Yantai.

Phuket $2,216
Yantai $932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,233 in Yantai.

Phuket $3,154
Yantai $1,233

Living in Phuket is roughly 103% more expensive than in Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yantai 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.97 ¥19.74

50.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$17.80 ¥118

82.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.55 ¥30.25

93.63%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.78 ¥18.47

1.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.53 ¥3.53

64.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.30 ¥1.97

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.11 ¥7.38

130.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.50 ¥16.62

47.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.02 ¥13.41

-17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.40 ¥9.33

4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.90 ¥6.01

66.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.30 ¥8.61

60.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$16.61 ¥110

14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.35 ¥22.23

-1.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.82 ¥45.31

59.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.36 ¥9.05

115.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.85 ¥5.64

98.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.02 ¥6.80

120.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.74 ¥4.90

181.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.72 ¥4.78

109.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.72 ¥4.76

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.59 ¥3.90

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.58 ¥3.86

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.85 ¥25.55

9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.66 ¥77.5

61.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.73 ¥4.86

149.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.02 ¥6.80

178.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.21 ¥1.39

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.37 ¥9.11

120.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.31 ¥2.07

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.60 ¥43.85

-44.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.24 ¥8.27

18.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$19.3K ¥128.3K

38.65%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$17.6K ¥116.8K

51.86%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$44.96 ¥299

114.30%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.71 ¥44.56

67.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$6.04 ¥40.17

178.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$30.04 ¥200

123.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.63 ¥50.7

40.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.58 ¥37.10

34.41%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$361 ¥2,398

31.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$16.7K ¥110.7K

-32.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$17.89 ¥119

248.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$22.58 ¥150

25.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$95.3 ¥633

-1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$91.2 ¥606

-5.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$227 ¥1,511

214.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$150 ¥994

228.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$359 ¥2,387

436.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$152 ¥1,012

839.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,023 ¥20.1K

38.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,152 ¥34.2K

-40.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,062 ¥7,058

-52.71%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Yantai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yantai

$150 23.7% 69.5% $341

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yantai

$192 30.4% 28% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yantai

$58 9.2% 53.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yantai

$102 16.2% 16.2% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yantai

$85 13.4% 30.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yantai

$41 6.5% 49.9% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yantai

$3.8 * 0.6% 94.7% $67

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 $227 in Yantai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yantai pays about 2.1 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 $18 in Yantai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $192 per month, with Yantai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,871,000

💱 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 Yantai 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yantai is about 51% 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 53% 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 $227 in Yantai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $361 in Yantai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yantai – a meal for two runs $18 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $631 in Yantai versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 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.

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.