Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fukui

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukui: $1,039 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Fukui, Japan
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Fukui
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,039
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fukui

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,039 in Fukui, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Fukui $1,039

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,658 in Fukui, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Fukui $1,658

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,277 in Fukui, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Fukui $2,277

Phuket costs about 25% more than Fukui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Phuket and Fukui are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Fukui 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$4.45 ¥705
-1.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,078
$31.80 ¥5,036
1.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿290
$3.09 ¥489
181.55%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿90.9
$2.40 ¥381
13.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.06
$0.80 ¥127
16.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.67
$0.45 ¥71.8
11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿84.5
$2.12 ¥336
19.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿121
$2.20 ¥349
65.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$0.84 ¥133
107.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$1.37 ¥216
5.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.1
$3.12 ¥494
-51.92%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.5
$1.63 ¥259
33.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿637
$11.49 ¥1,821
66.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿113
$3.43 ¥544
-0.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿364
$15.68 ¥2,484
-30.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.2
$6.08 ¥962
-51.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.5
$3.10 ¥490
-45.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.2
$6.19 ¥980
-64.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿70.9
$3.23 ¥512
-34.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.68
$1.88 ¥298
-22.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.66
$1.91 ¥303
-28.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿35.91
$1.29 ¥204
-16.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.21
$1.03 ¥164
-46.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿148
$3.51 ¥556
26.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿609
$6.34 ¥1,005
187.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.2
$1.74 ¥276
1.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.2
$1.53 ¥243
88.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$1.44 ¥229
0.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,832
$56.1 ¥8,891
-2.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.5
$3.10 ¥491
-51.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿25.90
$1.88 ¥299
-58.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿128
$32.26 ¥5,109
-88.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.65
$1.04 ¥165
43.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿897.3K
$8,950 ¥1.4M
200.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.4K
$12.3K ¥2.0M
113.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,265
$89.6 ¥14.2K
9.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿377
$12.58 ¥1,993
-10.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿574
$37.43 ¥5,927
-54.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,281
$51.3 ¥8,131
33.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿365
$3.68 ¥583
196.74%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿248
$6.77 ¥1,073
9.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.7K
$321 ¥50.8K
65.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿626.9K
$9,375 ¥1.5M
100.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,059
$19.20 ¥3,040
221.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿943
$12.76 ¥2,021
121.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,204
$32.03 ¥5,073
199.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,898
$31.35 ¥4,965
176.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.1K
$545 ¥86.3K
32.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.0K
$342 ¥54.2K
48.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.1K
$1,003 ¥158.8K
94.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.6K
$736 ¥116.6K
89.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿139.9K
$4,287 ¥679.0K
-2.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.1K
$2,485 ¥393.6K
32.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Fukui
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.4K
$1,960 ¥310.5K
-74.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
1
457.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fukui: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Fukui
$342 32.8% $167
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Fukui
$281 5.3% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Fukui
$140 10.6% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Fukui
$43 65% $80
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Fukui
$94 21.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Fukui
$65 22% $18
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Fukui
$74 12.7% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $545 in Fukui. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fukui are about 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 Fukui. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $281 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇯🇵 Fukui
🕒 Local time
05:49 5:49 AM
07:49 7:49 AM
2 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
267,428
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Fukui 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Fukui

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 Fukui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Fukui compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,039 in Fukui – Fukui comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Fukui?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,558 in Fukui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Fukui?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Fukui, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $545 there versus $721 in Phuket.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Fukui?
Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $321 in Fukui. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Fukui?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,039 in Fukui. That makes Fukui about 20% cheaper.
How far does $2,000 go in Phuket compared to Fukui?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,039 in Fukui, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Phuket or Fukui?
Families tend to lean toward Fukui – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Phuket or Fukui safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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