Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aomori Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aomori

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,231 in Aomori.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,931 in Aomori.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,630 in Aomori.

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than Aomori, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Aomori 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$7.05 ¥1,130

-33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,488

$35.28 ¥5,655

28.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.40 ¥865

56.11%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿96.0

$3.11 ¥498

-5.79%

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

$0.69 ฿22.48

$1.10 ¥176

-37.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.04

$0.75 ¥120

-50.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$2.64 ¥423

-8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$3.15 ¥505

18.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.2

$1.59 ¥255

40.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿60.1

$1.54 ¥247

18.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿71.1

$4.72 ¥756

-54.03%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.6

$2.21 ¥354

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿647

$10.11 ¥1,620

95.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$6.28 ¥1,007

-42.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿444

$15.42 ¥2,472

-12.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$5.41 ¥867

-39.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.8

$2.61 ¥419

-38.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$4.07 ¥653

-40.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.3

$6.02 ¥964

-65.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿50.1

$3.15 ¥505

-51.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.56

$2.64 ¥423

-43.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.42

$1.39 ¥223

-28.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.73

$0.90 ¥144

-43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.26 ¥683

3.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿636

$8.27 ¥1,326

134.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.3

$1.90 ¥305

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.9

$2.23 ¥357

21.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.96

$1.66 ¥266

-17.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿374

$56.4 ¥9,045

-79.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿99.0

$3.49 ¥559

-13.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.61

$2.97 ¥477

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿462

$20.58 ¥3,298

-31.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.68

$1.12 ¥179

21.43%

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

$28.2K ฿924.7K

$23.5K ¥3.8M

19.78%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$17.1K ¥2.7M

92.19%

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

$122 ฿3,991

$142 ¥22.7K

-14.06%

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

$13.57 ฿445

$27.60 ¥4,424

-50.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿600

$33.71 ¥5,404

-45.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,975

$56.2 ¥9,013

7.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿562

$13.86 ¥2,221

23.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿285

$12.63 ¥2,025

-31.20%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$278 ¥44.5K

149.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿514.4K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

19.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,952

$42.77 ¥6,856

39.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,140

$29.97 ¥4,804

16.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,758

$58.9 ¥9,442

94.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,731

$92.5 ¥14.8K

-9.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.1K

$461 ¥74.0K

32.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$334 ¥53.6K

30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.7K

$868 ¥139.1K

141.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.5K

$667 ¥106.9K

126.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.9K

$4,076 ¥653.4K

-8.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.8K

$2,639 ¥423.0K

-0.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.78

199.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Aomori: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $461 in Aomori. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Aomori. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $318, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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 Aomori: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Aomori differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,265 vs $1,231 including rent). Aomori is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,847 in Aomori to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $613 in Phuket versus $461 in Aomori. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $278 in Aomori. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,231 in Aomori versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aomori but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Aomori 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, Phuket and Aomori are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aomori gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.