Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $708 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$708

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $708 in Shenyang versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Shenyang $708
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Shenyang versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Shenyang $1,046
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,384 in Shenyang versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Shenyang $1,384
Phuket $3,154

Living in Shenyang costs roughly 45% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenyang 48% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 ¥19.72

$4.47 ฿151

-33.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.45 ¥149

$32.41 ฿1,094

-30.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 ¥35.89

$8.81 ฿297

-38.71%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥16.64

$2.83 ฿95.4

-11.66%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.87 ฿29.42

-45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.57

$0.49 ฿16.66

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.72

$2.56 ฿86.3

-66.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.54

$3.68 ฿124

-48.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ¥13.31

$1.66 ฿56.0

20.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.80

$1.46 ฿49.32

63.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$1.50 ฿50.5

-28.00%

Eggs

$1.07 ¥7.09

$2.09 ฿70.5

-48.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$10.91 ฿368

9.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.90

$2.93 ฿98.9

-38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.75

$1.69 ฿57.0

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$2.08 ฿70.1

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.07 ฿35.97

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.28

$0.52 ฿17.51

23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.52

$4.20 ฿142

-12.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.70 ¥111

$18.79 ฿634

-11.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥4.54

$1.82 ฿61.5

-62.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ¥7.52

$2.84 ฿95.9

-60.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.90

$1.45 ฿49.00

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.87 ¥98.8

$56.7 ฿1,912

-73.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.15

$3.02 ฿102

-54.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.02 ฿34.34

-69.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 ¥20.31

$3.69 ฿125

-17.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.47 ฿49.78

-11.56%

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

$19.4K ¥128.7K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-27.65%

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

$17.5K ¥116.0K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-34.62%

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

$76.2 ¥506

$96.4 ฿3,252

-20.94%

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

$15.50 ¥103

$11.26 ฿380

37.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.86 ¥98.7

$16.85 ฿569

-11.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.51 ¥150

$67.2 ฿2,269

-66.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.68 ¥71.0

$10.73 ฿362

-0.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥39.04

$7.50 ฿253

-21.60%

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

$549 ¥3,650

$476 ฿16.1K

15.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ¥145.4K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

94.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.33 ¥281

$62.4 ฿2,105

-32.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥405

$94.3 ฿3,182

-35.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ¥466

$85.8 ฿2,896

-18.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,499

$716 ฿24.2K

-68.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 ¥1,514

$491 ฿16.6K

-53.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 ¥3,578

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-72.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 ¥2,287

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-75.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,814 ¥12.1K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-56.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 ¥7,322

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-63.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,082 ¥7,190

$502 ฿17.0K

115.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

5.57

-21.54%

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

Last update for Shenyang: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenyang

$228 32.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 116% $263

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$161 * 22.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 65.6% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$107 15.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 16.8% $18

Eating Out

Shenyang

$81 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$78 * 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 140% $48

Getting Around

Shenyang

$19 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 272% $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 $226 in Shenyang and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenyang pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22 in Shenyang vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $266 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 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 = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shenyang Phuket 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
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

Shenyang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenyang is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Shenyang is about 2.2 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: $226 in Shenyang versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $549 in Shenyang 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 66% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $708 in Shenyang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang 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 Shenyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.