Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Atsugi

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Atsugi: $1,278 and $1,265 a month, rent and utilities included.

Phuket, Thailand
Atsugi, Japan
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Atsugi
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,265
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Atsugi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,265 in Atsugi.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Atsugi $1,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,187 in Atsugi.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Atsugi $2,187

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,108 in Atsugi.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Atsugi $3,108

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Atsugi; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Atsugi 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$7.85 ¥1,239
-43.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$25.21 ¥3,975
28.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$5.11 ¥805
72.41%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$1.92 ¥303
47.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$0.98 ¥155
-11.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$0.71 ¥113
-30.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$2.64 ¥416
-3.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$3.14 ¥495
17.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.58 ¥250
5.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$1.55 ¥245
-5.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$4.06 ¥640
-63.05%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$2.05 ¥324
1.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$16.16 ¥2,548
18.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$4.53 ¥715
-27.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$12.36 ¥1,950
-11.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$5.51 ¥868
-46.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.01 ¥316
-15.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$3.84 ¥605
-41.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$2.80 ¥442
-25.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.69 ¥424
-43.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$1.97 ¥310
-29.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$1.14 ¥180
-6.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.90 ¥142
-42.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.47 ¥548
21.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$9.73 ¥1,534
93.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.62 ¥256
12.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.12 ¥334
33.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$2.60 ¥410
-44.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$56.8 ¥8,962
-0.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$3.11 ¥490
-2.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$2.82 ¥444
-63.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$9.34 ¥1,473
-60.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$1.07 ¥169
37.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$12.9K ¥2.0M
107.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$15.3K ¥2.4M
74.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$236 ¥37.2K
-59.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$14.20 ¥2,240
-20.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$31.14 ¥4,911
-45.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$52.3 ¥8,246
28.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$7.77 ¥1,224
38.10%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$12.66 ¥1,997
-40.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$314 ¥49.5K
51.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$6,091 ¥960.5K
84.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$41.57 ¥6,554
50.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$24.45 ¥3,856
16.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$54.5 ¥8,600
72.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$31.86 ¥5,023
169.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$554 ¥87.4K
29.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$333 ¥52.6K
47.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,036 ¥163.3K
86.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,264 ¥199.3K
13.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$4,039 ¥636.9K
3.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,650 ¥417.8K
14.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Atsugi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$3,703 ¥583.9K
-86.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
2.02
175.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Atsugi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Atsugi
$333 32.1% $158
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Atsugi
$292 9.8% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Atsugi
$281 126% $157
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Atsugi
$69 43.7% $53
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Atsugi
$127 4.7% $5.8
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Atsugi
$78 5.6% $4.6
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Atsugi
$84 19.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $554 in Atsugi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atsugi pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Atsugi. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $292, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇯🇵 Atsugi
🕒 Local time
18:08 6:08 PM
20:08 8:08 PM
2 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
223,705
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Atsugi 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Atsugi

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 Atsugi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Atsugi?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $554 in Atsugi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Atsugi?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $314 in Atsugi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How far does $2,000 go in Phuket compared to Atsugi?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Atsugi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Atsugi?
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.
Is Phuket or Atsugi safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Atsugi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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