Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aomori

For one person, living is cheaper in Aomori: $1,190 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Aomori
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Aomori Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Aomori

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 Aomori actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,190 in Aomori.

Phuket $1,278
Aomori $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,878 in Aomori.

Phuket $2,216
Aomori $1,878

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,567 in Aomori.

Phuket $3,154
Aomori $2,567

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Aomori, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Aomori 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.56 ¥1,036

-31.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$30.73 ¥4,851

5.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.83 ¥920

51.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.87 ¥453

-1.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.05 ¥165

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.75 ¥118

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.27 ¥358

12.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.42 ¥540

7.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.62 ¥256

2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.47 ¥232

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.05 ¥640

-62.96%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.15 ¥340

-2.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.44 ¥1,649

82.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.94 ¥1,096

-52.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.95 ¥2,519

-31.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.42 ¥540

-14.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.57 ¥405

-34.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.90 ¥457

-22.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.91 ¥618

-46.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.45 ¥388

-38.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.18 ¥344

-36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.16 ¥184

-7.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.74 ¥117

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.18 ¥659

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.24 ¥985

201.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.89 ¥298

-3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.24 ¥353

26.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.58 ¥250

-8.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$58.1 ¥9,168

-2.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.22 ¥508

-6.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.74 ¥433

-62.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.54 ¥2,927

-80.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.02 ¥161

44.12%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.5K ¥3.1M

37.02%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

97.87%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$127 ¥20.0K

-24.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.86 ¥4,082

-56.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$35.60 ¥5,620

-52.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$50.5 ¥7,971

33.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.59 ¥2,303

-48.59%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$650 ¥102.7K

-26.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$11.2K ¥1.8M

0.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$47.28 ¥7,466

31.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$27.56 ¥4,351

3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$68.6 ¥10.8K

37.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$101 ¥15.9K

-14.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$491 ¥77.5K

45.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$316 ¥49.8K

55.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,104 ¥174.4K

74.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$703 ¥111.0K

103.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,791 ¥756.5K

-12.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,450 ¥386.8K

24.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aomori: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Aomori

$316 26.5% 35.7% $175

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Aomori

$285 24% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Aomori

$188 15.8% 51.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Aomori

$110 9.2% 9.9% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Aomori

$130 10.9% 6.6% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Aomori

$80 6.7% 3.1% $2.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Aomori

$81 6.8% 15.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $491 in Aomori. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $31 in Aomori. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $285, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Aomori

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

275,192

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Aomori 5,550 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Aomori

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 Aomori: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,190 in Aomori, so Aomori is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,784 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: $716 in Phuket versus $491 in Aomori. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,190 in Aomori – Aomori is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Aomori 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, Phuket and Aomori are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.