Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
Learn more

Shantou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shantou 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 Shantou and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Shantou versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Shantou $692
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,104 in Shantou versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Shantou $1,104
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,516 in Shantou versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Shantou $1,516
Phuket $2,867

Living in Shantou costs roughly 43% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shantou 49% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$4.58 ฿154

-50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$32.48 ฿1,091

-27.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$8.55 ฿287

-39.53%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$2.72 ฿91.5

24.26%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.94 ฿31.41

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.49 ฿16.48

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$2.59 ฿87.0

-66.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$3.83 ฿129

-44.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.74 ฿58.4

-8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$1.43 ฿48.07

1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.53 ฿51.3

-49.67%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$2.17 ฿73.1

-22.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$19.15 ฿643

-28.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$3.30 ฿111

3.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$11.14 ฿374

18.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.95 ฿99.0

-33.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$1.68 ฿56.4

-10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$2.30 ฿77.2

-21.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$2.13 ฿71.6

-38.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.53 ฿51.4

-46.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$1.36 ฿45.78

-22.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.12 ฿37.63

-47.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.55 ฿18.33

-21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$4.26 ฿143

-13.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$18.19 ฿611

-34.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$1.74 ฿58.5

-52.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$2.79 ฿93.8

-35.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$2.22 ฿74.4

-83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$22.06 ฿741

10.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$2.91 ฿97.8

-47.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$1.01 ฿33.97

-62.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$3.83 ฿129

90.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.49 ฿50.1

-17.45%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$26.7K ฿896.2K

-25.81%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$26.7K ฿897.2K

-32.54%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$99.4 ฿3,338

-42.98%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$11.28 ฿379

-21.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$17.36 ฿583

-20.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,756

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$7.57 ฿254

-0.40%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$558 ฿18.8K

-3.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$11.5K ฿385.9K

110.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$62.9 ฿2,112

-11.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$28.58 ฿960

38.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$96.1 ฿3,229

-24.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$88.1 ฿2,958

3.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$729 ฿24.5K

-59.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$460 ฿15.5K

-67.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$2,096 ฿70.4K

-71.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$1,222 ฿41.1K

-75.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$3,459 ฿116.2K

-34.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$2,489 ฿83.6K

79.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$493 ฿16.6K

115.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.57

-39.86%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 24.8% $53

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 204% $309

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.1% $7.1

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 40.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 61.2% $49

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 33.4% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 347% $52

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 $298 in Shantou and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shantou pays 115% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Shantou vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $268 per month, with Shantou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

1 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shantou Phuket 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shantou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 115% higher in Shantou, 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: $298 in Shantou versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $540 in Shantou versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $692 in Shantou versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shantou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shantou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shantou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Shantou and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shantou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.