Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niigata and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $728 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
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Niigata Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$728

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $728 in Niigata versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Niigata $728
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Niigata versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Niigata $1,106
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,485 in Niigata versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Niigata $1,485
Phuket $3,154

Living in Niigata costs roughly 43% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Niigata 47% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 ¥1,013

$4.47 ฿151

43.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.74 ¥2,795

$32.41 ฿1,093

-45.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥791

$8.81 ฿297

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ¥422

$2.83 ฿95.4

-5.30%

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

$1.10 ¥174

$0.87 ฿29.41

26.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.49 ฿16.65

59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ¥398

$2.56 ฿86.3

-1.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ¥437

$3.68 ฿124

-24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.66 ฿55.9

-26.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ¥152

$1.46 ฿49.31

-33.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ¥392

$1.50 ฿50.5

66.00%

Eggs

$2.26 ¥356

$2.09 ฿70.5

8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ¥1,167

$19.07 ฿643

-61.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 ¥1,062

$3.30 ฿111

104.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 ¥2,595

$10.91 ฿368

50.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 ¥506

$2.93 ฿98.9

9.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥206

$1.69 ฿57.0

-22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$2.25 ฿75.8

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥352

$2.08 ฿70.0

7.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.51 ฿51.0

28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$1.38 ฿46.52

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ¥146

$1.07 ฿35.96

-14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥94.4

$0.52 ฿17.51

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥606

$4.20 ฿142

-8.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.31 ¥679

$18.79 ฿634

-77.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥264

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$2.84 ฿95.8

-34.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.45 ฿48.98

-9.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ¥415

$3.02 ฿102

-12.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 ¥509

$1.02 ฿34.33

216.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.80 ¥2,962

$3.69 ฿125

409.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.47 ฿49.76

-28.57%

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

$19.3K ¥3.0M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-27.83%

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

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-51.87%

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

$147 ¥23.1K

$96.4 ฿3,251

52.05%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$11.26 ฿380

104.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.23 ¥3,975

$16.85 ฿568

49.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 ¥8,094

$67.2 ฿2,268

-23.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.27 ¥988

$10.73 ฿362

-41.57%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 ¥1,937

$7.50 ฿253

64.00%

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

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$476 ฿16.1K

-86.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

62.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.68 ¥4,991

$62.4 ฿2,104

-49.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 ¥5,214

$28.41 ฿958

16.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.84 ¥6,118

$94.3 ฿3,181

-58.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$85.8 ฿2,895

-24.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 ¥55.2K

$716 ฿24.2K

-51.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,272 ¥200.4K

$502 ฿16.9K

153.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.48

5.57

-73.43%

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

Last update for Niigata: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Niigata

$233 32%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 14.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niigata

$195 26.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.1% $70

Eating Out

Niigata

$124 17.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 8.2% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 60.9% $46

Getting Around

Niigata

$24 * 3.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 194% $47

Accommodation & Living

Niigata

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $351 in Niigata and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Niigata 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: $18 in Niigata vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $266 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Niigata

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h behind Niigata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

811,639

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Niigata Phuket 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Niigata
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

Niigata vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $728 in Niigata and $1,278 in Phuket, so Niigata is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Niigata 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: $351 in Niigata versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $728 per month in Niigata versus $1,278 in Phuket – Niigata is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $728 in Niigata versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata 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, Niigata and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.