Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fukushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,179 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fukushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,179 in Fukushima.

Phuket $1,294
Fukushima $1,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,896 in Fukushima.

Phuket $2,204
Fukushima $1,896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,613 in Fukushima.

Phuket $3,115
Fukushima $2,613

Living in Phuket is roughly 10% more expensive than in Fukushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Fukushima 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$5.97 ¥940

-26.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$29.63 ¥4,667

9.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$4.37 ¥688

99.08%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$2.47 ¥389

10.12%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.97 ¥153

-4.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.67 ¥105

-25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$2.58 ¥407

-1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.18 ¥501

14.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.51 ¥238

15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.53 ¥242

-5.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$4.10 ¥646

-63.41%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.09 ¥329

3.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$10.23 ¥1,611

86.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.50 ¥1,023

-47.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$17.13 ¥2,698

-36.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$3.71 ¥585

-20.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$2.23 ¥351

-24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$2.95 ¥464

-25.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$4.09 ¥644

-48.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$2.38 ¥374

-38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$2.48 ¥390

-44.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.32 ¥209

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.83 ¥131

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.99 ¥629

11.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$6.55 ¥1,031

178.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.88 ¥296

-5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.15 ¥339

33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.52 ¥239

-4.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$58.4 ¥9,199

-6.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.56 ¥561

-57.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$2.96 ¥466

-73.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$23.07 ¥3,633

-83.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.21 ¥191

23.14%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$22.4K ¥3.5M

20.17%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

76.10%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$125 ¥19.6K

-21.56%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$21.80 ¥3,433

-48.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$32.57 ¥5,129

-47.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$51.2 ¥8,060

33.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$11.50 ¥1,811

-35.39%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$692 ¥109.0K

-23.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

2.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$52.5 ¥8,267

17.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$34.18 ¥5,383

-17.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$67.4 ¥10.6K

42.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$77.2 ¥12.2K

12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$556 ¥87.5K

29.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$334 ¥52.6K

52.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$973 ¥153.2K

100.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$808 ¥127.3K

72.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$4,329 ¥681.8K

-3.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$2,479 ¥390.5K

33.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fukushima: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Fukushima

$334 28.3% 34.4% $175

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Fukushima

$288 24.5% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Fukushima

$179 15.2% 41.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Fukushima

$104 8.8% 15.2% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Fukushima

$116 9.9% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Fukushima

$74 6.3% 10.8% $9

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Fukushima

$83 7% 25.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $556 in Fukushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Fukushima. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $288, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

282,693

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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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 Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,768 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: $721 in Phuket versus $556 in Fukushima. 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Fukushima 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 Fukushima are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.