Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,332 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,332

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Japan is 16.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 12% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Japan is 15.1% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 4.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥993

$4.35 ฿146

44.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 ¥5,101

$32.45 ฿1,087

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥805

$8.42 ฿282

-39.67%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥492

$2.81 ฿94.0

10.68%

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

$1.12 ¥178

$0.87 ฿29.29

28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.46 ฿15.39

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ¥515

$2.59 ฿86.6

25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ¥590

$3.64 ฿122

2.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.71 ฿57.2

-12.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.45 ฿48.42

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 ¥782

$1.56 ฿52.3

216.67%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$2.10 ฿70.3

0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 ¥1,810

$19.53 ฿654

-41.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 ¥1,000

$3.40 ฿114

85.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.80 ¥2,817

$11.14 ฿373

59.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥760

$2.83 ฿94.8

69.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ¥388

$1.62 ฿54.3

51.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 ¥680

$2.22 ฿74.5

93.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 ¥715

$2.15 ฿71.9

110.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 ¥428

$1.49 ฿49.95

81.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.33 ฿44.40

103.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.07 ฿35.72

25.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥140

$0.51 ฿17.01

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥614

$4.38 ฿147

-11.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 ¥1,186

$18.77 ฿629

-60.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥301

$1.74 ฿58.3

9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥415

$2.78 ฿92.9

-5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ¥215

$2.17 ฿72.6

-37.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 ¥9,122

$22.28 ฿746

158.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 ¥578

$3.02 ฿101

21.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.16 ¥499

$1.06 ฿35.43

198.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.05 ¥3,174

$3.71 ฿124

440.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥170

$1.43 ฿47.88

-25.17%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$26.3K ฿882.1K

-17.69%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$26.2K ฿877.3K

-38.54%

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

$156 ¥24.7K

$96.7 ฿3,236

61.39%

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

$24.21 ¥3,831

$11.41 ฿382

112.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.72 ¥5,178

$17.11 ฿573

91.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,326

$52.8 ฿1,768

-0.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.92 ¥2,836

$11.07 ฿371

61.88%

Cinema Ticket

$12.84 ¥2,032

$7.65 ฿256

67.84%

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

$544 ¥86.2K

$555 ฿18.6K

-1.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ¥1.9M

$11.3K ฿377.7K

6.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.82 ¥7,409

$63.4 ฿2,123

-26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.43 ¥4,657

$28.61 ฿958

2.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 ¥9,774

$96.7 ฿3,238

-36.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 ¥12.4K

$88.6 ฿2,967

-11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥90.1K

$735 ฿24.6K

-22.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ¥61.7K

$458 ฿15.3K

-14.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 ¥207.4K

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-37.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ¥121.8K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-35.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,494 ¥869.3K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

57.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,810 ¥444.6K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

12.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,077 ¥328.7K

$501 ฿16.8K

314.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

5.57

-61.76%

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

Last update for Japan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$390 29.8%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 17.4% $68

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$315 24%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 14.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$213 16.3%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 41.2% $88

Eating Out

Japan

$134 10.2%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 10.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$97 7.4%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 28.2% $27

Getting Around

Japan

$83 6.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 52.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$78 6%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 13% $10

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

12:48 12:48 PM

2 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Japan Phuket 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Phuket

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

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