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: $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,130 in Fukuyama.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Phuket versus $1,811 in Fukuyama.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,833 in Phuket versus $2,492 in Fukuyama.

Living in Phuket is roughly 11% more expensive than in Fukuyama, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 9% lower, Fukuyama 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿150

$7.44 ¥1,163

-38.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.62 ฿1,072

$31.00 ¥4,842

5.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ฿293

$5.13 ¥801

73.49%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ฿92.2

$3.35 ¥523

-16.42%

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

$0.88 ฿28.93

$0.83 ¥129

6.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.52 ¥81.7

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ฿78.5

$1.94 ¥302

23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿122

$3.20 ¥499

15.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ฿58.7

$0.97 ¥152

84.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿47.38

$0.84 ¥132

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ฿52.1

$5.86 ¥915

-73.04%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿69.9

$2.07 ¥323

2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.92 ฿655

$8.75 ¥1,367

127.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ฿113

$3.39 ¥530

1.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 ฿372

$10.85 ¥1,695

4.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿96.9

$5.11 ¥798

-42.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.6

$2.27 ¥355

-24.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ฿76.4

$5.11 ¥798

-54.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.4

$3.63 ¥567

-42.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.33

$1.84 ¥287

-20.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿44.64

$1.68 ¥263

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.12

$0.96 ¥150

14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ฿18.89

$0.39 ¥61.7

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿140

$3.94 ¥616

8.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ฿605

$7.57 ¥1,183

143.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ฿61.5

$1.56 ¥244

19.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿96.0

$3.20 ¥500

-8.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿72.9

$1.45 ¥227

53.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.90 ฿753

$56.7 ¥8,859

-59.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿99.6

$3.25 ¥508

-6.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.31

$3.79 ¥591

-71.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ฿129

$20.29 ¥3,170

-80.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.04

$1.00 ¥157

49.00%

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

$27.1K ฿891.7K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

120.33%

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

$27.5K ฿902.3K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

80.89%

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

$103 ฿3,379

$99.7 ¥15.6K

3.09%

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

$10.99 ฿361

$19.06 ¥2,977

-42.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.51 ฿576

$29.00 ¥4,530

-39.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 ฿1,760

$49.74 ¥7,770

7.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

$1.93 ¥301

480.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿246

$12.39 ¥1,935

-39.63%

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

$557 ฿18.3K

$650 ¥101.6K

-14.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ฿389.6K

$6,566 ¥1.0M

80.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 ฿2,106

$36.90 ¥5,765

73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.07 ฿956

$30.71 ¥4,798

-5.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,154

$63.6 ¥9,938

50.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,970

$100 ¥15.7K

-10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 ฿24.0K

$486 ¥75.9K

50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ฿16.4K

$326 ¥50.9K

53.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 ฿68.7K

$929 ¥145.1K

125.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 ฿39.7K

$730 ¥114.0K

65.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 ฿118.2K

$4,258 ¥665.2K

-15.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 ฿82.6K

$1,863 ¥291.0K

34.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.5K

$1,354 ¥211.5K

-62.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

457.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Last update for Fukuyama: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $730 in Phuket and $486 in Fukuyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fukuyama pays 169% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Fukuyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $250 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 11% 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 169% 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: $730 in Phuket versus $486 in Fukuyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $557 in Phuket versus $650 in Fukuyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,130 in Fukuyama versus $1,253 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 $1,130 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 11% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.