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

🙂 Solo nomad: Qingdao, Shandong is 20.6% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 38.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Qingdao, Shandong is 27.8% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 47.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.25 ¥22.47
$4.65 ฿147
-30.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.20 ¥126
$46.11 ฿1,460
-60.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.46 ¥30.86
$8.74 ฿277
-48.97%
Cappuccino
$3.41 ¥23.60
$3.04 ฿96.2
12.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.71
$0.72 ฿22.80
-25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ¥1.97
$0.39 ฿12.38
-25.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.83 ¥5.74
$2.44 ฿77.2
-65.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ¥14.12
$3.79 ฿120
-46.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.00 ¥13.82
$2.14 ฿67.9
-6.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 ¥10.63
$1.86 ฿58.9
-17.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.43
$2.19 ฿69.2
-57.53%
Eggs
$1.89 ¥13.07
$2.25 ฿71.1
-16.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.76 ¥102
$19.73 ฿625
-25.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.17 ¥28.83
$3.79 ฿120
10.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.41 ¥72.0
$13.55 ฿429
-23.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.37 ¥9.50
$3.25 ฿103
-57.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 ¥8.39
$1.67 ฿52.9
-27.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.92 ¥13.28
$2.39 ฿75.7
-19.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 ¥7.27
$2.09 ฿66.2
-49.76%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 ¥5.10
$1.53 ฿48.39
-51.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 ¥7.90
$1.51 ฿47.79
-24.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 ¥6.64
$0.99 ฿31.30
-3.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ¥3.54
$0.51 ฿16.30
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.80 ¥26.26
$4.27 ฿135
-11.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.96 ¥96.6
$20.31 ฿643
-31.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ¥6.92
$1.79 ฿56.7
-44.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ¥11.08
$2.77 ฿87.6
-42.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 ¥2.09
$1.40 ฿44.44
-78.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.40 ¥114
$11.70 ฿370
40.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ¥9.44
$3.11 ฿98.4
-56.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ¥2.21
$0.99 ฿31.48
-67.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.33 ¥50.7
$13.73 ฿435
-46.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥7.71
$1.32 ฿41.75
-15.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.1K ¥139.3K
$27.2K ฿862.0K
-26.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$13.5K ¥93.4K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-60.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.3 ¥355
$120 ฿3,811
-57.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.97 ¥75.9
$13.93 ฿441
-21.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.35 ¥71.6
$18.31 ฿579
-43.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.67 ¥185
$60.9 ฿1,928
-56.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.74 ¥144
$17.23 ฿545
20.37%
Cinema Ticket
$6.89 ¥47.71
$8.71 ฿276
-20.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$330 ¥2,282
$698 ฿22.1K
-52.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.3K ¥168.3K
$15.7K ฿498.0K
54.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.1 ¥527
$57.6 ฿1,824
32.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.73 ¥261
$34.24 ฿1,084
10.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 ¥547
$113 ฿3,582
-30.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 ¥693
$84.8 ฿2,684
18.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$338 ¥2,340
$604 ฿19.1K
-44.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$194 ¥1,342
$436 ฿13.8K
-55.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$743 ¥5,144
$2,057 ฿65.1K
-63.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$411 ¥2,842
$1,498 ฿47.4K
-72.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,619 ¥25.0K
$4,252 ฿134.6K
-14.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,178 ¥15.1K
$2,988 ฿94.6K
-27.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,059 ¥7,330
$529 ฿16.7K
100.16%
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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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