Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fukuyama Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fukuyama

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,212 in Fukuyama.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,901 in Fukuyama.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,591 in Fukuyama.

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Fukuyama, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Fukuyama 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$10.49 ¥1,704

-56.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.16 ¥5,550

35.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.46 ¥886

61.90%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.42 ¥555

-10.53%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.88 ¥143

-17.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.78 ¥127

-48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$3.53 ¥574

-31.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$6.64 ¥1,078

-43.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.06 ¥172

113.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.94 ¥153

92.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.20 ¥520

-29.69%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.27 ¥369

-0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$9.51 ¥1,544

105.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$3.86 ¥627

-5.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$13.93 ¥2,264

-6.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.38 ¥875

-39.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.48 ¥404

-34.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$6.59 ¥1,071

-63.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$4.05 ¥658

-49.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$1.59 ¥258

-3.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.25 ¥365

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.07 ¥174

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.43 ¥70.6

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.05 ¥658

9.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$7.51 ¥1,220

143.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.78 ¥290

4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$3.52 ¥571

-23.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.62 ¥263

-12.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$55.2 ¥8,967

-78.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.52 ¥572

-11.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$3.25 ¥528

-68.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$18.09 ¥2,939

-22.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.11 ¥180

18.02%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$13.8K ¥2.2M

101.69%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$17.3K ¥2.8M

92.14%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$111 ¥18.0K

10.43%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$20.85 ¥3,387

-34.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$33.12 ¥5,382

-43.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$56.9 ¥9,244

6.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$14.01 ¥2,277

21.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$13.31 ¥2,163

-31.86%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$375 ¥60.9K

88.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$7,301 ¥1.2M

116.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$41.07 ¥6,673

42.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$34.34 ¥5,579

2.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$70.6 ¥11.5K

63.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$102 ¥16.6K

-18.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$464 ¥75.4K

34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$330 ¥53.7K

34.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$861 ¥139.8K

137.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$656 ¥106.6K

127.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$4,937 ¥802.1K

-29.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$1,926 ¥312.9K

33.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$1,381 ¥224.4K

-63.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

433.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Fukuyama: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $464 in Fukuyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fukuyama pays 176% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Fukuyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $270 per month, with Fukuyama cheaper across the board.

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 Fukuyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukuyama wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fukuyama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 176% lower in Fukuyama. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $626 in Phuket versus $464 in Fukuyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $375 in Fukuyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,212 in Fukuyama versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fukuyama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Fukuyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fukuyama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,212 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fukuyama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Fukuyama 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 Fukuyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.