Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matsuyama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,277 in Matsuyama, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Matsuyama despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,277 per month in Matsuyama vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Matsuyama $1,277
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Matsuyama vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,017
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,758 per month in Matsuyama vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,758
Phuket $2,845

Matsuyama costs about 6% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Matsuyama and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Matsuyama 6% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 ¥1,008

$4.40 ฿147

45.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.99 ¥4,896

$32.26 ฿1,078

-3.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 ¥744

$8.76 ฿293

-46.23%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ¥376

$2.83 ฿94.5

-15.90%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$0.90 ฿30.14

32.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥91.7

$0.47 ฿15.56

23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 ¥330

$2.55 ฿85.2

-18.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥361

$3.83 ฿128

-40.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.73 ฿57.7

-13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥210

$1.47 ฿49.11

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$1.51 ฿50.6

257.62%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥329

$2.17 ฿72.7

-4.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ¥1,974

$19.70 ฿658

-36.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 ¥1,498

$3.34 ฿112

183.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.49 ¥5,134

$11.16 ฿373

191.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥579

$2.85 ฿95.1

28.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ¥367

$1.70 ฿56.9

36.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.34 ¥1,001

$2.19 ฿73.3

189.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥670

$2.05 ฿68.4

106.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$1.45 ฿48.57

153.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.38 ฿46.16

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.07 ฿35.69

15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ¥154

$0.51 ฿16.91

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ¥555

$4.26 ฿142

-17.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ¥1,262

$18.58 ฿621

-57.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.78 ฿59.7

10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ¥227

$2.85 ฿95.2

-49.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥228

$2.26 ฿75.6

-36.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.7 ¥8,327

$22.10 ฿738

138.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.01 ฿101

7.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 ¥486

$1.06 ฿35.34

190.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.40 ¥4,170

$3.86 ฿129

583.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.14%

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

$20.0K ¥3.2M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-23.93%

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

$16.7K ¥2.6M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-38.01%

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

$144 ¥22.8K

$96.4 ฿3,221

49.72%

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

$23.66 ¥3,738

$11.04 ฿369

114.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 ¥6,819

$17.14 ฿573

151.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 ¥8,379

$52.2 ฿1,744

1.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 ¥1,982

$7.81 ฿261

60.56%

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

$319 ¥50.3K

$556 ฿18.6K

-42.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,069 ¥958.9K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-47.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.43 ¥7,809

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.19 ¥3,980

$28.69 ฿959

-12.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.18 ¥7,297

$95.4 ฿3,187

-51.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.3 ¥10.5K

$88.0 ฿2,940

-24.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.2K

$737 ฿24.6K

-28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.8K

$462 ฿15.5K

-29.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥177.3K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ¥114.4K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-39.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 ¥679.6K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

23.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,726 ¥272.6K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-31.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

5.57

-59.07%

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

Last update for Matsuyama: 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

Matsuyama

$383 30%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.8% $114

Accommodation & Living

Matsuyama

$328 25.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 41.1% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matsuyama

$211 16.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 41% $87

Eating Out

Matsuyama

$116 9.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 4.7% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Matsuyama

$84 6.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 47.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Matsuyama

$78 6.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Matsuyama

$77 6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 48.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Matsuyama 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Matsuyama versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Matsuyama vs $269 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

2 h behind Matsuyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,192

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

Matsuyama Phuket 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Matsuyama
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

Matsuyama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,277 in Matsuyama, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,915 per month in Matsuyama 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 Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 139% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $319 per month in Matsuyama and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Matsuyama at $1,277. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Matsuyama it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,277 in Matsuyama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Matsuyama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.