Cost of living comparison

Thailand

compared to

China

Shanghai vs. Koh Samui Cost of Living Summary

Shanghai is 4.2% more expensive than Koh Samui.

Restaurants: pay 21.5% less in Shanghai
Groceries: pay 7.6% less in Shanghai
Transportation: pay 25.6% less in Shanghai
Housing: pay 15.3% more in Shanghai
Childcare: pay 3.0 times more in Shanghai
Entertainment and Sports: pay 17.7% more in Shanghai
Clothing: pay 12.5% more in Shanghai

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, and clothing in Shanghai are more expensive than in Koh Samui. Expenses including transportation, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Shanghai. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Shanghai.

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Shanghai vs. Koh Samui Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Shanghai instead of Koh Samui, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 21.5% less for restaurants

	Koh Samui	Shanghai
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.46 THB148.24	$4.47 CN¥29.94	+0.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.62 THB286.59	$5.22 CN¥34.93	-39.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.92 THB30.54	$0.60 CN¥4.01	-34.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.48 THB15.87	$0.37 CN¥2.47	-22.5%
Average			-21.5%

Koh Samui vs. Shanghai - Cost of restaurants

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pay 7.6% less for groceries

	Koh Samui	Shanghai
Bread 1 loaf	$1.42 THB47.33	$1.98 CN¥13.22	+38.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$9.70 THB322.52	$8.60 CN¥57.52	-11.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.59 THB185.80	$6.88 CN¥46.02	+23.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.13 THB70.84	$1.70 CN¥11.36	-20.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.46 THB48.50	$1.48 CN¥9.89	+1.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.32 THB43.97	$0.99 CN¥6.65	-24.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.50 THB16.51	$0.77 CN¥5.16	+55.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.02 THB33.84	$0.90 CN¥6.05	-11.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.95 THB31.62	$0.77 CN¥5.15	-19.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.62 THB20.62	$0.36 CN¥2.40	-42.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.61 THB20.32	$0.43 CN¥2.90	-29.1%
Average			-7.6%

Koh Samui vs. Shanghai - Cost of groceries

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pay 25.6% less for transportation

	Koh Samui	Shanghai
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.41 THB180.01	$4.96 CN¥33.21	-8.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$44.56 THB1,482.38	$29.83 CN¥199.59	-33.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$26,737.57 THB889K	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-27.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$11.29 THB375.54	$5.67 CN¥37.92	-49.8%
Average			-25.6%

Koh Samui vs. Shanghai - Cost of transportation

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pay 15.3% more for housing

	Koh Samui	Shanghai
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$17.15 THB570.48	$10.55 CN¥70.59	-38.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$842.23 THB28,017.01	$1,036.96 CN¥6,938.07	+23.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$391.56 THB13,025.19	$588.71 CN¥3,938.93	+50.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$74.96 THB2,493.60	$44.06 CN¥294.77	-41.2%
Average			+15.3%

Koh Samui vs. Shanghai - Cost of housing

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pay 3.0 times more for childcare

	Koh Samui	Shanghai
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$555.38 THB18,474.87	$1,413.50 CN¥9,457.42	+154.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,921.52 THB264K	$27,686.22 CN¥185K	+249.5%
Average			+198.2%

Koh Samui vs. Shanghai - Cost of childcare

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pay 17.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Koh Samui	Shanghai
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.38 THB79.06	$1.19 CN¥7.98	-49.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.14 THB71.03	$3.35 CN¥22.41	+56.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.33 THB143.89	$3.73 CN¥24.95	-13.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$40.11 THB1,334.14	$65.69 CN¥439.52	+63.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.94 THB197.65	$8.95 CN¥59.88	+50.6%
Average			+17.7%

Koh Samui vs. Shanghai - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 12.5% more for clothing

	Koh Samui	Shanghai
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$41.59 THB1,383.56	$54.37 CN¥363.79	+30.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$28.69 THB954.49	$37.09 CN¥248.19	+29.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$95.68 THB3,182.71	$75.49 CN¥505.08	-21.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.87 THB2,922.95	$105.70 CN¥707.25	+20.3%
Average			+12.5%

Koh Samui vs. Shanghai - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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