Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fukuoka

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Fukuoka: $1,278 and $1,307 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fukuoka

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,307 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Fukuoka $1,307

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,031 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Fukuoka $2,031

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,754 in Fukuoka, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Fukuoka $2,754

Phuket and Fukuoka have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Phuket and Fukuoka are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Fukuoka 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.33 ¥1,158

-39.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$43.83 ¥6,920

-26.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.97 ¥942

47.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.72 ¥587

-23.92%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.06 ¥167

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.75 ¥118

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.85 ¥608

-33.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.16 ¥340

70.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 ¥245

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.83 ¥288

-20.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.43 ¥1,015

-76.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.30 ¥364

-9.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$18.19 ¥2,872

4.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.34 ¥843

-38.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.96 ¥2,994

-42.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.62 ¥572

-19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.85 ¥293

-8.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.83 ¥446

-20.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.33 ¥526

-37.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.15 ¥339

-29.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.59 ¥409

-46.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.03 ¥162

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.98 ¥154

-46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.98 ¥628

5.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.41 ¥1,012

193.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.71 ¥270

6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.92 ¥303

47.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.29 ¥204

12.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$52.9 ¥8,352

7.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.11 ¥649

-26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.39 ¥377

-57.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$17.92 ¥2,830

-79.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.10 ¥174

33.64%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

20.77%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

77.58%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$215 ¥33.9K

-55.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.33 ¥4,000

-55.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.10 ¥5,384

-50.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$48.11 ¥7,597

39.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.61 ¥1,990

-40.52%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$702 ¥110.9K

-32.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-8.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$48.84 ¥7,712

27.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.49 ¥4,182

7.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$65.8 ¥10.4K

43.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$47.48 ¥7,497

80.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$523 ¥82.6K

36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$332 ¥52.4K

48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,173 ¥185.2K

64.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$709 ¥112.0K

101.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,674 ¥737.9K

-10.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,568 ¥405.5K

18.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,647 ¥260.1K

-69.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.97

182.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fukuoka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Fukuoka

$332 25.4% 32.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Fukuoka

$317 24.2% 19% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Fukuoka

$274 21% 121% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Fukuoka

$85 6.5% 30.4% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Fukuoka

$152 11.6% 24.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Fukuoka

$73 5.6% 10.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Fukuoka

$74 5.7% 5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $523 in Fukuoka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fukuoka are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $44 in Fukuoka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $317 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,612,392

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Fukuoka 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Fukuoka

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 Fukuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,961 in Fukuoka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fukuoka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $523 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Fukuoka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $702 in Fukuoka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,307 in Fukuoka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,307 in Fukuoka. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fukuoka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.