Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Narita and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Narita versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Narita $1,203
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,912 in Narita versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Narita $1,912
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,620 in Narita versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Narita $2,620
Phuket $3,154

Living in Narita costs roughly 6% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Narita 12% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 ¥904

$4.47 ฿151

28.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.80 ¥6,592

$32.41 ฿1,094

28.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.42 ¥697

$8.81 ฿297

-49.83%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ¥513

$2.83 ฿95.4

14.84%

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

$0.78 ¥124

$0.87 ฿29.42

-10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥116

$0.49 ฿16.66

48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ¥326

$2.56 ฿86.3

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.68 ฿124

-12.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥196

$1.66 ฿56.0

-24.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥272

$1.46 ฿49.32

17.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 ¥573

$1.50 ฿50.5

142.00%

Eggs

$1.98 ¥313

$2.09 ฿70.5

-5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 ¥1,626

$19.07 ฿643

-45.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 ¥966

$3.30 ฿111

85.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 ¥2,262

$10.91 ฿368

31.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.83 ¥919

$2.93 ฿98.9

98.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ¥431

$1.69 ฿57.0

61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥460

$2.25 ฿75.8

29.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ¥656

$2.08 ฿70.1

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.51 ฿51.0

74.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ¥423

$1.38 ฿46.54

94.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.07 ฿35.97

21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$0.52 ฿17.51

57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥596

$4.20 ฿142

-10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 ¥980

$18.79 ฿634

-66.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥283

$1.82 ฿61.5

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.84 ฿95.9

-26.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$1.45 ฿49.00

2.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 ¥10.2K

$56.7 ฿1,912

14.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 ¥512

$3.02 ฿102

7.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ¥255

$1.02 ฿34.34

58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.95 ¥3,303

$3.69 ฿125

467.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ¥162

$1.47 ฿49.78

-29.93%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-18.64%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-39.77%

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

$131 ¥20.6K

$96.4 ฿3,252

35.66%

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

$24.14 ¥3,806

$11.26 ฿380

114.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.35 ¥4,470

$16.85 ฿569

68.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,254

$67.2 ฿2,269

-22.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.49 ¥1,811

$7.50 ฿253

53.20%

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

$828 ¥130.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

74.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

31.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ¥9,818

$62.4 ฿2,105

-0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 ¥5,742

$28.41 ฿959

28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,620

$94.3 ฿3,182

-35.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$85.8 ฿2,896

22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 ¥85.1K

$716 ฿24.2K

-24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.6K

$491 ฿16.6K

-32.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ¥142.1K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-53.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-51.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,825 ¥603.2K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-8.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,316 ¥365.3K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-23.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,258 ¥198.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

150.43%

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 Narita: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Narita

$334 27.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 47.1% $157

Groceries & Markets

Narita

$289 24%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 7.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Narita

$183 15.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.1% $59

Eating Out

Narita

$121 10.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.6% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Narita

$119 9.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.4% $2.9

Getting Around

Narita

$82 6.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 14.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Narita

$75 6.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 9.2% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $540 in Narita and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Narita pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42 in Narita vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Narita

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

2 h behind Narita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,613

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Narita Phuket 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Narita
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

Narita vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narita is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Narita is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $540 in Narita versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 13% less than in Narita. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $828 in Narita versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Narita gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Narita and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.