Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Qingdao, Shandong is 24.2% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 38.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Qingdao, Shandong is 26.8% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 47.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.41 ¥24.46
$4.68 ฿151
-27.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.17 ¥130
$46.4 ฿1,502
-60.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.52 ¥32.4
$8.65 ฿280
-47.75%
Cappuccino
$3.42 ¥24.52
$3.09 ฿100
10.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥4.14
$0.73 ฿23.53
-20.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ¥2.23
$0.37 ฿11.95
-16.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.87 ¥6.24
$2.39 ฿77.4
-63.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 ¥14.54
$3.62 ฿117
-43.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ¥14
$2.24 ฿72.5
-12.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 ¥10.9
$1.8 ฿58.2
-15.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.59
$2.24 ฿72.3
-58.93%
Eggs
$1.89 ¥13.55
$2.23 ฿72.1
-15.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.68 ¥105
$19.31 ฿625
-23.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.23 ¥30.37
$3.77 ฿122
12.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.18 ¥73
$13.05 ฿422
-21.99%
Apples (1kg)
$1.37 ¥9.8
$3.28 ฿106
-58.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.15 ¥8.26
$1.63 ฿52.6
-29.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.91 ¥13.71
$2.4 ฿77.7
-20.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.01 ¥7.27
$1.99 ฿64.3
-49.25%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ¥5.36
$1.53 ฿49.62
-50.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ¥7.79
$1.49 ฿48.11
-26.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 ¥6.72
$1.02 ฿32.87
-7.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.37
$0.48 ฿15.61
-2.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.98 ¥28.54
$4.32 ฿140
-7.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.84 ¥99.3
$21.68 ฿702
-36.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 ¥7.44
$1.77 ฿57.3
-41.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ¥11.32
$2.79 ฿90.4
-43.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.3 ¥2.17
$1.35 ฿43.74
-77.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.62 ¥119
$11.76 ฿380
41.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.43 ¥10.24
$3.15 ฿102
-54.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ¥2.27
$1 ฿32.3
-68.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.5 ¥53.8
$13.64 ฿442
-45.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥7.98
$1.3 ฿42.2
-14.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K ¥143K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
-27.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$13.3K ¥95.2K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-60.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.4 ¥376
$123 ฿3,970
-57.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.92 ¥78.4
$13.93 ฿451
-21.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.39 ¥74.5
$18.24 ฿590
-43.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.42 ¥190
$60.8 ฿1,966
-56.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.84 ¥149
$17.11 ฿554
21.80%
Cinema Ticket
$6.88 ¥49.31
$9.07 ฿294
-24.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$336 ¥2,412
$694 ฿22.5K
-51.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.6K ¥176.6K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
54.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.9 ¥559
$57.5 ฿1,861
35.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.63 ¥277
$34.51 ฿1,117
11.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.8 ¥572
$115 ฿3,727
-30.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 ¥735
$84.8 ฿2,743
20.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$342 ¥2,456
$611 ฿19.8K
-43.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$190 ¥1,365
$442 ฿14.3K
-56.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$730 ¥5,233
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-63.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$415 ¥2,976
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-71.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,925 ¥28.2K
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-7.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,394 ¥17.2K
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-17.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$941 ¥6,750
$697 ฿22.5K
35.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.81
5.33
-28.52%

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

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 29, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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