Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maebashi and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Maebashi and in Phuket: $1,216 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Maebashi
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Maebashi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Maebashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,216

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,216 per month in Maebashi vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Maebashi $1,216
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,956 per month in Maebashi vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Maebashi $1,956
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $2,696 per month in Maebashi vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Maebashi $2,696
Phuket $2,867

Maebashi costs about 1% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Maebashi and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Maebashi 10% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ¥694

$4.58 ฿153

-4.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.47 ¥4,972

$32.48 ฿1,086

-3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.16 ¥815

$8.55 ฿286

-39.65%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ¥392

$2.72 ฿91.0

-8.82%

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

$0.77 ¥122

$0.94 ฿31.25

-18.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥96.7

$0.49 ฿16.39

24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ¥355

$2.59 ฿86.6

-13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.83 ฿128

-15.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.74 ฿58.1

-29.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥241

$1.43 ฿47.82

6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.53 ฿51.0

-11.76%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥258

$2.17 ฿72.7

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.66 ¥2,473

$19.15 ฿640

-18.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 ¥698

$3.30 ฿110

33.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.95 ¥2,679

$11.14 ฿372

52.15%

Apples (1kg)

$8.15 ¥1,288

$2.95 ฿98.5

176.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 ¥478

$1.68 ฿56.1

80.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 ¥776

$2.30 ฿76.8

113.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.65 ¥1,208

$2.13 ฿71.3

259.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.96 ¥626

$1.53 ฿51.1

158.82%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 ¥751

$1.36 ฿45.55

249.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ¥184

$1.12 ฿37.44

4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥77.8

$0.55 ฿18.24

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$4.26 ฿142

-7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.35 ¥1,477

$18.19 ฿608

-48.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ¥395

$1.74 ฿58.2

43.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥327

$2.79 ฿93.3

-25.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$2.22 ฿74.1

-31.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 ¥8,335

$22.06 ฿737

139.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$2.91 ฿97.3

9.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 ¥447

$1.01 ฿33.79

180.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.19 ¥4,927

$3.83 ฿128

714.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.49 ฿49.85

-28.19%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-20.08%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-42.59%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$99.4 ฿3,321

18.51%

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

$23.00 ¥3,633

$11.28 ฿377

103.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.59 ¥4,992

$17.36 ฿580

81.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥8,141

$52.3 ฿1,747

-1.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.51 ¥4,978

$10.85 ฿362

190.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 ¥1,764

$7.57 ฿253

47.42%

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

$575 ¥90.8K

$558 ฿18.7K

2.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

25.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.39 ¥7,803

$62.9 ฿2,102

-21.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 ¥5,550

$28.58 ฿955

22.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 ¥9,586

$96.1 ฿3,213

-36.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 ¥15.6K

$88.1 ฿2,943

12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥83.6K

$729 ฿24.4K

-27.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.3K

$460 ฿15.4K

-26.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 ¥172.3K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-47.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥117.4K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-39.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,756 ¥593.4K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

8.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,859 ¥293.6K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-25.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 ¥267.9K

$493 ฿16.5K

243.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

5.57

-63.73%

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

Last update for Maebashi: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maebashi

$343 28.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 22.1% $76

Accommodation & Living

Maebashi

$337 27.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 36.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maebashi

$172 14.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 25.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Maebashi

$110 9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13% $14

Eating Out

Maebashi

$104 8.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 17.1% $18

Getting Around

Maebashi

$76 6.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 48.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Maebashi

$74 6.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 8.7% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Maebashi versus $729 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 244% higher in Maebashi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Maebashi versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Maebashi vs $268 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Maebashi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

2 h behind Maebashi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

324,644

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Maebashi Phuket 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Maebashi
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

Maebashi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maebashi is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,824 per month in Maebashi and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Maebashi and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,216 in Maebashi and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Maebashi at $1,216. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maebashi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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