Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 13% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 1.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 15.1% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 19.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.73 ¥33.92
$4.68 ฿151
1.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.17 ¥259
$46.4 ฿1,502
-22.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.6 ¥40.18
$8.65 ฿280
-35.26%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ¥25.53
$3.09 ฿100
15.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.9
$0.73 ฿23.53
-26.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ¥2.59
$0.37 ฿11.95
-2.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.43 ¥10.25
$2.39 ฿77.4
-40.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ¥19.81
$3.62 ฿117
-23.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ¥15.66
$2.24 ฿72.5
-2.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.81 ¥13
$1.8 ฿58.2
0.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.1 ¥7.9
$2.24 ฿72.3
-50.89%
Eggs
$1.69 ¥12.1
$2.23 ฿72.1
-24.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.79 ¥113
$19.31 ฿625
-18.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ¥22.76
$3.77 ฿122
-15.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.88 ¥78.1
$13.05 ฿422
-16.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 ¥16.24
$3.28 ฿106
-31.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ¥11.98
$1.63 ฿52.6
2.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 ¥12.78
$2.4 ฿77.7
-25.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.94
$1.99 ฿64.3
-23.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 ¥6.09
$1.53 ฿49.62
-44.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ¥8.37
$1.49 ฿48.11
-21.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ¥4.84
$1.02 ฿32.87
-33.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.6 ¥4.29
$0.48 ฿15.61
25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 ¥20.56
$4.32 ฿140
-33.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.16 ¥80
$21.68 ฿702
-48.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.8 ¥5.73
$1.77 ฿57.3
-54.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ¥11.22
$2.79 ฿90.4
-44.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.4 ¥2.89
$1.35 ฿43.74
-70.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.15 ¥252
$11.76 ฿380
198.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ¥16.45
$3.15 ฿102
-27.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 ¥2.69
$1 ฿32.3
-63.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.14 ¥58.4
$13.64 ฿442
-40.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ¥7.81
$1.3 ฿42.2
-16.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥140.1K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
-28.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.2K ¥130.5K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-46.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.6 ¥370
$123 ฿3,970
-57.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.68 ¥62.2
$13.93 ฿451
-37.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.5 ¥96.8
$18.24 ฿590
-25.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.42 ¥333
$60.8 ฿1,966
-23.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.44 ¥147
$17.11 ฿554
19.46%
Cinema Ticket
$8.58 ¥61.5
$9.07 ฿294
-5.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,307 ¥9,378
$694 ฿22.5K
88.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.4K ¥225.4K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
97.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.8 ¥422
$57.5 ฿1,861
2.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.99 ¥265
$34.51 ฿1,117
7.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 ¥558
$115 ฿3,727
-32.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.5 ¥706
$84.8 ฿2,743
16.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$952 ¥6,827
$611 ฿19.8K
55.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$574 ¥4,115
$442 ฿14.3K
29.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,518 ¥18.1K
$2,014 ฿65.2K
24.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ¥8,614
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-17.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.4K ¥103.2K
$4,244 ฿137.3K
239.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,106 ¥51K
$2,886 ฿93.4K
146.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,534 ¥11K
$697 ฿22.5K
120.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
5.33
-32.83%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 28, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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