Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hiroshima and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiroshima: $961 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Hiroshima
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Hiroshima Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Hiroshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$961

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Hiroshima vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Hiroshima $961
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,557 per month in Hiroshima vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Hiroshima $1,557
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,152 per month in Hiroshima vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Hiroshima $2,152
Phuket $2,845

Hiroshima is about 20% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hiroshima and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Hiroshima 29% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.13 ¥969

$4.40 ฿147

39.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 ¥5,043

$32.26 ฿1,078

-1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 ¥801

$8.76 ฿293

-42.12%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ¥429

$2.83 ฿94.5

-3.89%

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

$0.96 ¥152

$0.90 ฿30.14

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥109

$0.47 ฿15.56

46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ¥433

$2.55 ฿85.2

7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ¥582

$3.83 ฿128

-3.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.73 ฿57.7

-13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.47 ฿49.11

3.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 ¥748

$1.51 ฿50.6

213.91%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥327

$2.17 ฿72.7

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ¥808

$19.70 ฿658

-74.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ¥976

$3.34 ฿112

85.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ¥1,722

$11.16 ฿373

-2.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ¥522

$2.85 ฿95.1

16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 ¥313

$1.70 ฿56.9

16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$2.19 ฿73.3

72.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 ¥588

$2.05 ฿68.4

81.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.45 ฿48.57

4.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.38 ฿46.16

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.07 ฿35.69

26.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.51 ฿16.91

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$4.26 ฿142

-6.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.70 ¥1,217

$18.58 ฿621

-58.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.78 ฿59.7

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.85 ฿95.2

-12.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 ¥290

$2.26 ฿75.6

-18.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,181

$22.10 ฿738

48.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥581

$3.01 ฿101

22.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.06 ฿35.34

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.43 ¥3,386

$3.86 ฿129

455.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.14%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-17.15%

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

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-45.25%

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

$139 ¥21.9K

$96.4 ฿3,221

44.14%

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

$24.17 ¥3,818

$11.04 ฿369

118.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.93 ¥4,887

$17.14 ฿573

80.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,315

$52.2 ฿1,744

0.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ¥734

$11.16 ฿373

-58.33%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,009

$7.81 ฿261

62.87%

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

$155 ¥24.5K

$556 ฿18.6K

-72.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,400 ¥537.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-70.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.67 ¥4,529

$64.2 ฿2,146

-55.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 ¥3,877

$28.69 ฿959

-14.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.85 ¥7,560

$95.4 ฿3,187

-49.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 ¥10.1K

$88.0 ฿2,940

-27.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥38.1K

$737 ฿24.6K

-67.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ¥29.3K

$462 ฿15.5K

-59.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ¥97.7K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-70.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ¥80.2K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-57.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 ¥483.1K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-12.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,406 ¥222.2K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-44.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,973 ¥311.8K

$501 ฿16.7K

294.11%

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 Hiroshima: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hiroshima

$255 26.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 5.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hiroshima

$194 20.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 35.8% $69

Accommodation & Living

Hiroshima

$186 19.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 149% $277

Eating Out

Hiroshima

$125 13%

Phuket

$121 10% 2.6% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Hiroshima

$78 8.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.2% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Hiroshima

$74 7.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 67.4% $50

Getting Around

Hiroshima

$50 5.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 21% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Hiroshima versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 294% higher in Hiroshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Hiroshima versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $269 – making Hiroshima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hiroshima

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

2 h behind Hiroshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,200,754

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hiroshima Phuket 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hiroshima
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

Hiroshima vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 26% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,442 per month in Hiroshima and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hiroshima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $961 in Hiroshima and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 26%.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Hiroshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiroshima, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Hiroshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hiroshima costs $961 versus $1,208 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hiroshima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.