Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koriyama and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Koriyama and in Phuket: $1,187 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
Learn more

Koriyama Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,187

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Koriyama $1,187
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Koriyama versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Koriyama $1,881
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,575 in Koriyama versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Koriyama $2,575
Phuket $2,867

Living in Koriyama costs roughly 2% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koriyama 12% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 ¥967

$4.40 ฿147

39.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.16 ¥4,923

$32.26 ฿1,078

-3.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥810

$8.76 ฿293

-41.44%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥468

$2.83 ฿94.5

4.59%

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

$1.24 ¥195

$0.90 ฿30.14

37.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$0.47 ฿15.56

65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 ¥426

$2.55 ฿85.2

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$3.83 ฿128

-17.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.73 ฿57.7

-15.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$1.47 ฿49.11

6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 ¥664

$1.51 ฿50.6

178.15%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥317

$2.17 ฿72.7

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$19.70 ฿658

-48.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ¥1,051

$3.34 ฿112

99.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 ¥2,635

$11.16 ฿373

49.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$2.85 ฿95.1

28.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$1.70 ฿56.9

33.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$2.19 ฿73.3

31.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$2.05 ฿68.4

98.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 ¥390

$1.45 ฿48.57

70.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$1.38 ฿46.16

84.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.07 ฿35.69

20.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.51 ฿16.91

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥608

$4.26 ฿142

-9.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 ¥1,074

$18.58 ฿621

-63.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$1.78 ฿59.7

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$2.85 ฿95.2

-25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥241

$2.26 ฿75.6

-32.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 ¥8,380

$22.10 ฿738

140.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.01 ฿101

6.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥453

$1.06 ฿35.34

170.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.64 ¥2,945

$3.86 ฿129

382.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.14%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-20.47%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-43.46%

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

$134 ¥21.2K

$96.4 ฿3,221

39.51%

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

$24.63 ¥3,890

$11.04 ฿369

123.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.55 ¥4,984

$17.14 ฿573

84.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,243

$52.2 ฿1,744

-0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 ¥1,899

$7.81 ฿261

53.91%

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

$523 ¥82.7K

$556 ฿18.6K

-5.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ¥2.0M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

9.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,799

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 ¥4,999

$28.69 ฿959

10.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,639

$95.4 ฿3,187

-36.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 ¥13.8K

$88.0 ฿2,940

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 ¥85.6K

$737 ฿24.6K

-26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$462 ฿15.5K

-29.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 ¥174.1K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-47.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ¥116.8K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-38.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,230 ¥668.2K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

21.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,778 ¥280.8K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-29.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 Koriyama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koriyama

$325 27.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 42.2% $137

Groceries & Markets

Koriyama

$287 24.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 6.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koriyama

$191 16.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 34.7% $66

Eating Out

Koriyama

$128 10.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 5.1% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Koriyama

$103 8.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 20.4% $21

Getting Around

Koriyama

$77 6.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 48.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Koriyama

$76 6.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 11% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Koriyama and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Koriyama vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

16:59 4:59 PM

2 h behind Koriyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

327,692

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koriyama Phuket 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Koriyama
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

Koriyama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koriyama and Phuket differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,187 vs $1,207 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,781 in Koriyama and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $542 in Koriyama versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 140% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $523 in Koriyama versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Koriyama and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.