Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fukushima Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fukushima

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,263 in Fukushima.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,991 in Fukushima.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,718 in Fukushima.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 1% less than in Fukushima, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Fukushima 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$6.90 ¥1,121

-34.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$36.55 ¥5,939

26.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$7.09 ¥1,152

24.68%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.77 ¥612

-18.83%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.91 ¥147

-19.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.81 ¥132

-50.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.62 ¥425

-7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.06 ¥498

23.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.59 ¥258

42.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.55 ¥251

16.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.87 ¥792

-53.80%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.21 ¥359

1.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$10.21 ¥1,659

91.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.50 ¥1,057

-43.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$15.38 ¥2,498

-15.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.25 ¥853

-38.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.53 ¥411

-35.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$3.94 ¥641

-39.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$6.02 ¥977

-66.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$3.05 ¥495

-49.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.58 ¥420

-41.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.38 ¥224

-28.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.85 ¥138

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.08 ¥662

8.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$7.49 ¥1,217

144.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.90 ¥309

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.17 ¥353

23.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.67 ¥272

-15.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$54.7 ¥8,893

-78.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.49 ¥567

-10.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$3.00 ¥488

-65.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$20.66 ¥3,356

-31.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.23 ¥200

6.50%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$23.4K ¥3.8M

18.64%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$17.0K ¥2.8M

95.04%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$145 ¥23.6K

-15.65%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.39 ¥4,449

-50.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$34.20 ¥5,557

-45.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$56.2 ¥9,136

7.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.97 ¥2,270

21.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$12.24 ¥1,989

-25.90%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$285 ¥46.3K

148.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$13.7K ¥2.2M

15.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$43.31 ¥7,037

35.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$28.98 ¥4,709

22.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$60.7 ¥9,866

90.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$91.7 ¥14.9K

-8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$473 ¥76.9K

32.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$323 ¥52.5K

37.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$872 ¥141.7K

133.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$646 ¥104.9K

131.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$4,918 ¥799.1K

-29.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$2,332 ¥378.9K

10.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Fukushima: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $473 in Fukushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $37.00 in Fukushima. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $315, 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 Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Phuket and $1,895 in Fukushima 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: $626 in Phuket versus $473 in Fukushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Fukushima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $37.00 in Fukushima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,263 in Fukushima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Fukushima. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Fukushima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Fukushima 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Fukushima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.