Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asahikawa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,189 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,189 per month in Asahikawa vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,189
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,948 per month in Asahikawa vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,948
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,706 per month in Asahikawa vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Asahikawa $2,706
Phuket $3,154

Asahikawa is about 7% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Asahikawa and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Asahikawa 13% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 ¥996

$4.47 ฿151

41.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.58 ¥5,138

$32.41 ฿1,094

0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ¥717

$8.81 ฿297

-48.35%

Cappuccino

$3.10 ¥489

$2.83 ฿95.4

9.54%

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

$1.26 ¥199

$0.87 ฿29.42

44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.49 ฿16.66

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 ¥452

$2.56 ฿86.3

12.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ¥473

$3.68 ฿124

-18.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.66 ฿56.0

-8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥239

$1.46 ฿49.32

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 ¥623

$1.50 ฿50.5

163.33%

Eggs

$2.26 ¥357

$2.09 ฿70.5

8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ¥1,693

$19.07 ฿643

-43.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 ¥1,060

$3.30 ฿111

103.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 ¥2,569

$10.91 ฿368

49.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 ¥504

$2.93 ฿98.9

9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$1.69 ฿57.0

55.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 ¥388

$2.25 ฿75.8

9.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 ¥728

$2.08 ฿70.1

122.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 ¥430

$1.51 ฿51.0

80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 ¥365

$1.38 ฿46.54

67.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.07 ฿35.97

28.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.52 ฿17.51

67.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥621

$4.20 ฿142

-6.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 ¥1,208

$18.79 ฿634

-59.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥277

$1.82 ฿61.5

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥296

$2.84 ฿95.9

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.45 ฿49.00

13.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ¥8,379

$56.7 ฿1,912

-6.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥484

$3.02 ฿102

1.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 ¥422

$1.02 ฿34.34

162.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.03 ¥3,316

$3.69 ฿125

469.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥184

$1.47 ฿49.78

-20.41%

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

$22.6K ¥3.6M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-15.63%

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

$13.6K ¥2.2M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-48.86%

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

$154 ¥24.3K

$96.4 ฿3,252

59.91%

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

$25.29 ¥3,987

$11.26 ฿380

124.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 ¥5,406

$16.85 ฿569

103.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 ¥8,719

$67.2 ฿2,269

-17.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.20 ¥1,923

$7.50 ฿253

62.67%

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

$630 ¥99.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

32.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ¥1.8M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

0.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 ¥8,102

$62.4 ฿2,105

-17.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.99 ¥4,413

$28.41 ฿959

-1.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 ¥9,403

$94.3 ฿3,182

-36.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$85.8 ฿2,896

19.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ¥96.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-14.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 ¥45.8K

$491 ฿16.6K

-40.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 ¥155.7K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-48.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 ¥127.6K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-43.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥702.5K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

6.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,602 ¥410.3K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-14.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

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

Last update for Asahikawa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Asahikawa

$291 24.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 8.6% $25

Accommodation & Living

Asahikawa

$291 24.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 68.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asahikawa

$214 18%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41.7% $89

Eating Out

Asahikawa

$130 10.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6.1% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Asahikawa

$109 9.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 12.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Asahikawa

$80 6.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 3.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Asahikawa

$76 6.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 7.3% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $611 in Asahikawa versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Asahikawa versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

2 h behind Asahikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,306

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Asahikawa Phuket 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Asahikawa
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

Asahikawa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,189 in Asahikawa, $1,278 in Phuket – Asahikawa comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,784 per month in Asahikawa and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asahikawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Asahikawa and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,189 in Asahikawa and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,189 in Asahikawa to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.