Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nishinomiya and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Nishinomiya and in Phuket: $1,257 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

Nishinomiya
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,257
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,257 per month in Nishinomiya vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Nishinomiya $1,257
  • Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,020 per month in Nishinomiya vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Nishinomiya $2,020
  • Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,783 per month in Nishinomiya vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Nishinomiya $2,783
  • Phuket $2,845

Nishinomiya costs about 4% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nishinomiya and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Nishinomiya 7% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 ¥1,377
$4.40 ฿147
97.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.81 ¥5,025
$32.26 ฿1,078
-1.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.02 ¥794
$8.76 ฿293
-42.69%
Cappuccino
$2.26 ¥358
$2.83 ฿94.5
-20.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 ¥185
$0.90 ฿30.14
30.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ¥99.4
$0.47 ฿15.56
34.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.09 ¥331
$2.55 ฿85.2
-18.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 ¥353
$3.83 ฿128
-41.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ¥236
$1.73 ฿57.7
-13.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 ¥236
$1.47 ฿49.11
1.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.61 ¥886
$1.51 ฿50.6
271.52%
Eggs
$2.14 ¥338
$2.17 ฿72.7
-1.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.69 ¥2,005
$19.70 ฿658
-35.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.42 ¥1,489
$3.34 ฿112
182.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.74 ¥5,015
$11.16 ฿373
184.41%
Apples (1kg)
$5.13 ¥810
$2.85 ฿95.1
80.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 ¥286
$1.70 ฿56.9
6.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.04 ¥480
$2.19 ฿73.3
38.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.01 ¥949
$2.05 ฿68.4
193.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.62 ¥256
$1.45 ฿48.57
11.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 ¥400
$1.38 ฿46.16
83.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ¥179
$1.07 ฿35.69
5.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 ¥149
$0.51 ฿16.91
84.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.41 ¥538
$4.26 ฿142
-19.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.56 ¥1,511
$18.58 ฿621
-48.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 ¥371
$1.78 ฿59.7
32.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 ¥240
$2.85 ฿95.2
-46.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 ¥237
$2.26 ฿75.6
-33.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.1 ¥8,392
$22.10 ฿738
140.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 ¥510
$3.01 ฿101
7.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.81 ¥444
$1.06 ฿35.34
165.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.51 ¥2,450
$3.86 ฿129
301.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥174
$1.45 ฿48.45
-24.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.8K ¥3.1M
$26.3K ฿879.9K
-24.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.0K ¥2.4M
$26.9K ฿900.4K
-44.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 ¥18.4K
$96.4 ฿3,221
21.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.12 ¥3,653
$11.04 ฿369
109.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.51 ¥4,819
$17.14 ฿573
78.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 ¥9,820
$52.2 ฿1,744
19.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.16 ฿373
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.49 ¥1,816
$7.81 ฿261
47.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$323 ¥51.0K
$556 ฿18.6K
-41.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,082 ¥960.9K
$11.6K ฿387.0K
-47.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.33 ¥7,793
$64.2 ฿2,146
-23.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.09 ¥3,964
$28.69 ฿959
-12.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$46.56 ¥7,356
$95.4 ฿3,187
-51.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.4 ¥10.2K
$88.0 ฿2,940
-26.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$523 ¥82.6K
$737 ฿24.6K
-29.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$328 ¥51.9K
$462 ฿15.5K
-28.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,114 ¥175.9K
$2,095 ฿70.0K
-46.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$751 ¥118.6K
$1,201 ฿40.1K
-37.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,265 ¥673.9K
$3,488 ฿116.6K
22.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,735 ¥274.1K
$2,523 ฿84.3K
-31.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nishinomiya
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,977 ¥312.4K
$501 ฿16.7K
294.94%
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 Nishinomiya: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Nishinomiya
$380
Phuket
$269 29.2% $111
Accommodation & Living
Nishinomiya
$328
Phuket
$462 40.8% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nishinomiya
$170
Phuket
$125 26.9% $46
Eating Out
Nishinomiya
$134
Phuket
$121 9.6% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Nishinomiya
$85
Phuket
$68 20.4% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Nishinomiya
$83
Phuket
$124 49% $41
Getting Around
Nishinomiya
$76
Phuket
$39 48.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $523 in Nishinomiya 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 295% higher in Nishinomiya, 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 $32.00 in Nishinomiya versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Nishinomiya vs $269 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Nishinomiya
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
11:30 11:30 AM
09:30 9:30 AM
2 h behind Nishinomiya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
488,873
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nishinomiya Phuket 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nishinomiya
  • 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
Nishinomiya vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Nishinomiya?
Yes – Nishinomiya is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,886 per month in Nishinomiya and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Nishinomiya or in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Nishinomiya and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Nishinomiya and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,257 in Nishinomiya and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 4%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Nishinomiya or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Nishinomiya at $1,257. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nishinomiya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nishinomiya or Phuket more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Nishinomiya or Phuket?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nishinomiya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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