Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $773 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
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Qingdao, Shandong Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qingdao, Shandong and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qingdao, Shandong and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $773 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Qingdao, Shandong $773
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,221 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,221
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,669 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,669
Phuket $3,154

Living in Qingdao, Shandong costs roughly 40% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Qingdao, Shandong 43% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.18

$4.47 ฿151

-31.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.01 ¥120

$32.41 ฿1,093

-44.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.41 ¥29.29

$8.81 ฿297

-49.94%

Cappuccino

$2.71 ¥17.96

$2.83 ฿95.4

-4.24%

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

$0.54 ¥3.58

$0.87 ฿29.40

-37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.13

$0.49 ฿16.65

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 ¥6.96

$2.56 ฿86.3

-58.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ¥17.46

$3.68 ฿124

-28.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ¥12.74

$1.66 ฿55.9

15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.38

$1.46 ฿49.29

-3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.62

$1.50 ฿50.5

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.33 ¥8.85

$2.09 ฿70.5

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.57 ¥110

$19.07 ฿643

-13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ¥28.12

$3.30 ฿111

28.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 ¥63.8

$10.91 ฿368

-11.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.30

$2.93 ฿98.8

-52.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.55

$1.69 ฿57.0

-32.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.38

$2.25 ฿75.7

-24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$2.08 ฿70.0

-39.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$1.51 ฿51.0

-54.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.48

$1.38 ฿46.51

-28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ¥6.66

$1.07 ฿35.95

-6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.03

$0.52 ฿17.50

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥25.53

$4.20 ฿142

-8.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 ¥98.5

$18.79 ฿634

-21.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.85

$1.82 ฿61.4

-43.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.37

$2.84 ฿95.8

-45.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.90

$1.45 ฿48.97

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.97 ¥119

$56.7 ฿1,911

-68.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.68

$3.02 ฿102

-51.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$1.02 ฿34.32

-59.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.14 ¥60.6

$3.69 ฿124

147.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$1.47 ฿49.75

-14.29%

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

$19.6K ¥129.8K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

-26.93%

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

$17.4K ¥115.2K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-34.94%

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

$69.3 ¥460

$96.4 ฿3,250

-28.10%

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

$6.65 ¥44.16

$11.26 ฿380

-40.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.64 ¥50.7

$16.85 ฿568

-54.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.14 ¥140

$67.2 ฿2,268

-68.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ¥117

$10.73 ฿362

64.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥41.77

$7.50 ฿253

-16.13%

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

$364 ¥2,416

$476 ฿16.1K

-23.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥118.9K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

59.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ¥350

$62.4 ฿2,103

-15.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.91 ¥325

$28.41 ฿958

72.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ¥627

$94.3 ฿3,180

0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 ¥601

$85.8 ฿2,894

5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,253

$716 ฿24.1K

-52.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ¥1,308

$491 ฿16.6K

-59.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 ¥5,104

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-60.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 ¥2,663

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-71.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,272 ¥21.7K

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-21.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 ¥13.9K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-31.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 ¥8,099

$502 ฿16.9K

142.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

5.57

-39.50%

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

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qingdao, Shandong

$223 28.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.6% $44

Accommodation & Living

Qingdao, Shandong

$197 25.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 149% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.6% $7.2

Eating Out

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 48.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Qingdao, Shandong

$34 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 144% $49

Getting Around

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 212% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Qingdao, Shandong and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Qingdao, Shandong pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18 in Qingdao, Shandong vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $266 per month, with Qingdao, Shandong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

1 h behind Qingdao, Shandong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,071,722

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qingdao, Shandong Phuket 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Qingdao, Shandong
Phuket

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

Qingdao, Shandong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qingdao, Shandong is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Qingdao, Shandong is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $340 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $364 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $773 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Qingdao, Shandong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Qingdao, Shandong 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.

Expats usually find Qingdao, Shandong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.