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Koh Samui vs Qingdao cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇹🇭 Koh Samui
🇨🇳 Qingdao
At a glance
- Where Qingdao is clearly cheaper: Transit (81%↓), Taxi (57%↓), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (54%↓)
- Where Koh Samui is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (67%↓), SIM card (36%↓), Massage (28%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Koh Samui 4 vs Qingdao 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Koh Samui | Qingdao | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ฿ 120$3.64 | ¥ 30$4.23 | Koh Samui −14% |
| Street food1 item | ฿ 70$2.12 | ¥ 12$1.69 | Qingdao −20% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ฿ 400$12.1 | ¥ 80$11.3 | Qingdao −7% |
| Coffeeone cup | ฿ 90$2.73 | ¥ 25$3.52 | Koh Samui −23% |
| Beerone bottle | ฿ 100$3.03 | ¥ 12$1.69 | Qingdao −44% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ฿ 220$6.67 | ¥ 50$7.04 | Koh Samui −5% |
| Bottled water | ฿ 10$0.3 | ¥ 2$0.28 | Qingdao −7% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ฿ 30$0.91 | ¥ 4$0.56 | Qingdao −38% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ฿ 150$4.55 | ¥ 14$1.97 | Qingdao −57% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ฿ 100$3.03 | ¥ 10$1.41 | Qingdao −54% |
| Transitone ride | ฿ 50$1.52 | ¥ 2$0.28 | Qingdao −81% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ฿ 250$7.58 | ¥ 50$7.04 | Qingdao −7% |
| Hotel night3-star | ฿ 1,800$54.5 | ¥ 400$56.3 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | ฿ 16,000$485 | ¥ 2,000$282 | Qingdao −42% |
| Laundry | ฿ 50$1.52 | ¥ 12$1.69 | Koh Samui −10% |
| SIM card1 week data | ฿ 299$9.06 | ¥ 100$14.1 | Koh Samui −36% |
| Haircutcut | ฿ 150$4.55 | ¥ 35$4.93 | Koh Samui −8% |
| Massage1 hour | ฿ 400$12.1 | ¥ 120$16.9 | Koh Samui −28% |
| Half-day tourper person | ฿ 1,200$36.4 | ¥ 300$42.3 | Koh Samui −14% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ฿ 100$3.03 | ¥ 65$9.15 | Koh Samui −67% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Koh Samui or Qingdao?
Qingdao is 19% cheaper than Koh Samui. Daily budget $96.4 vs $93; a month $1,942 vs $1,280.
Which is easier to travel, Koh Samui or Qingdao?
About the same: Koh Samui 2.8/5, Qingdao 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Koh Samui and Qingdao?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Koh Samui is about $1,942 and Qingdao about $1,280 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.