Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Akita

For one person, living is cheaper in Akita: $1,229 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Akita
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Akita Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Akita

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Akita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,229 in Akita, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Akita $1,229

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,929 in Akita, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Akita $1,929

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,630 in Akita, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Akita $2,630

Phuket costs about 5% more than Akita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Akita are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Akita 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.49 ¥1,022

-32.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$32.30 ¥5,087

0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$4.91 ¥773

77.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$3.59 ¥565

-24.23%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.93 ¥146

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.82 ¥129

-39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$1.85 ¥292

36.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.18 ¥501

14.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.53 ¥242

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.57 ¥248

-7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$4.28 ¥674

-64.95%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.14 ¥337

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$10.25 ¥1,615

86.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.42 ¥1,010

-47.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$16.74 ¥2,636

-34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$3.82 ¥601

-23.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$2.38 ¥374

-28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$2.95 ¥465

-25.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$4.30 ¥678

-50.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$2.48 ¥390

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$2.47 ¥389

-44.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.24 ¥196

-12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.84 ¥133

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.98 ¥627

11.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$6.78 ¥1,068

169.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.87 ¥295

-5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.11 ¥332

36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.48 ¥233

-2.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$57.8 ¥9,103

-5.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.18 ¥501

-52.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$2.88 ¥454

-72.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$18.62 ¥2,933

-79.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.33 ¥210

12.03%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

21.00%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

69.51%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$134 ¥21.1K

-27.02%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$24.28 ¥3,825

-53.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$31.40 ¥4,945

-45.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$51.0 ¥8,038

33.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$12.92 ¥2,035

-42.49%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$688 ¥108.4K

-22.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

50.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$42.42 ¥6,681

45.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$46.16 ¥7,270

-38.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$88.5 ¥13.9K

8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$89.5 ¥14.1K

-3.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$556 ¥87.5K

29.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$337 ¥53.2K

50.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$1,032 ¥162.6K

88.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$721 ¥113.6K

93.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$4,281 ¥674.3K

-2.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$2,350 ¥370.2K

40.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$1,655 ¥260.7K

-70.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.21

152.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Akita: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Akita

$337 27.5% 33.7% $171

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Akita

$291 23.7% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Akita

$190 15.4% 50.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Akita

$120 9.8% 2.2% $2.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Akita

$132 10.8% 10.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Akita

$77 6.3% 7.6% $6.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Akita

$81 6.6% 23.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $556 in Akita. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Akita are about 3.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $32 in Akita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $291 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Akita

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

307,672

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Akita 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Akita

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

Phuket vs Akita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 5% more than Akita, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,843 in Akita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Akita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $556 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,229 in Akita. That makes Akita about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $688 in Akita. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,294 in Phuket and $1,229 in Akita. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,229 in Akita to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.