Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagano and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Nagano and in Phuket: $1,231 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Nagano
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Nagano Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nagano

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Nagano vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Nagano $1,231
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,891 per month in Nagano vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Nagano $1,891
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,550 per month in Nagano vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Nagano $2,550
Phuket $2,845

Nagano costs about 2% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nagano and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Nagano 9% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 ¥1,019

$4.40 ฿147

46.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.32 ¥6,370

$32.26 ฿1,078

24.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥810

$8.76 ฿293

-41.44%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ¥532

$2.83 ฿94.5

19.08%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$0.90 ฿30.14

17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.47 ฿15.56

70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.55 ฿85.2

1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

$3.83 ฿128

-20.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥228

$1.73 ฿57.7

-16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.47 ฿49.11

11.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 ¥564

$1.51 ฿50.6

136.42%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$2.17 ฿72.7

-8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.32 ¥1,630

$19.70 ฿658

-47.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ¥975

$3.34 ฿112

84.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.40 ¥2,275

$11.16 ฿373

29.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 ¥919

$2.85 ฿95.1

104.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.70 ฿56.9

58.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 ¥448

$2.19 ฿73.3

29.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 ¥642

$2.05 ฿68.4

98.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥396

$1.45 ฿48.57

72.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ¥401

$1.38 ฿46.16

84.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.07 ฿35.69

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$0.51 ฿16.91

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 ¥582

$4.26 ฿142

-13.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥982

$18.58 ฿621

-66.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥287

$1.78 ฿59.7

2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥317

$2.85 ฿95.2

-29.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ¥207

$2.26 ฿75.6

-42.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.2 ¥8,082

$22.10 ฿738

131.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ¥501

$3.01 ฿101

5.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.06 ฿35.34

154.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.17 ¥3,187

$3.86 ฿129

422.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.45 ฿48.45

-27.59%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-17.97%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-42.57%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$96.4 ฿3,221

35.04%

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

$23.91 ¥3,778

$11.04 ฿369

116.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.76 ¥2,016

$17.14 ฿573

-25.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ¥8,387

$52.2 ฿1,744

1.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$12.71 ¥2,008

$7.81 ฿261

62.74%

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

$622 ¥98.3K

$556 ฿18.6K

11.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

28.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ¥9,759

$64.2 ฿2,146

-3.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.29 ¥5,733

$28.69 ฿959

26.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 ¥9,797

$95.4 ฿3,187

-34.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ¥15.8K

$88.0 ฿2,940

13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ¥88.0K

$737 ฿24.6K

-24.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥59.2K

$462 ฿15.5K

-18.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ¥180.4K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-45.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ¥102.4K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-46.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,188 ¥661.7K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

20.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,974 ¥311.9K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-21.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$627 ¥99.0K

$501 ฿16.7K

25.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

5.57

-52.60%

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

Last update for Nagano: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagano

$375 30.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 23.4% $88

Groceries & Markets

Nagano

$287 23.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 6.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagano

$167 13.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 25.3% $42

Eating Out

Nagano

$134 10.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 9.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Nagano

$117 9.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.1% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nagano

$79 6.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 13.7% $11

Getting Around

Nagano

$73 5.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 46% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $557 in Nagano 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 25% higher in Nagano, 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 $40.00 in Nagano versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagano

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

2 h behind Nagano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,760

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

Nagano Phuket 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagano
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

Nagano vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nagano costs about 2% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Nagano 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Nagano 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 $1,231 in Nagano and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 2%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Nagano at $1,231. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nagano it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,231 in Nagano. 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 Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nagano makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.