Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hachioji

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,429 in Hachioji, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Hachioji, Japan
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Hachioji
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,429
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hachioji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,429 in Hachioji.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Hachioji $1,429

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,112 in Hachioji.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Hachioji $2,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,795 in Hachioji.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Hachioji $2,795

Living in Phuket costs roughly 9% less than in Hachioji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Hachioji is 6% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$5.27 ¥834
-16.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,078
$31.84 ¥5,042
1.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿290
$4.70 ¥745
85.11%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿90.9
$3.07 ¥486
-11.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.06
$0.82 ¥131
13.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.67
$0.68 ¥108
-26.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿84.5
$2.62 ¥416
-3.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿121
$3.25 ¥514
11.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$1.22 ¥193
42.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$1.52 ¥241
-4.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.1
$4.45 ¥704
-66.29%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.5
$2.13 ¥338
1.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿637
$10.43 ¥1,652
83.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿113
$6.67 ¥1,056
-49.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿364
$16.90 ¥2,677
-35.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.2
$3.78 ¥599
-22.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.5
$2.29 ¥363
-26.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.2
$2.85 ¥452
-23.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿70.9
$4.09 ¥648
-48.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.68
$2.50 ¥396
-41.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.66
$2.46 ¥390
-44.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿35.91
$1.27 ¥201
-14.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.21
$0.78 ¥124
-29.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿148
$3.84 ¥609
15.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿609
$6.53 ¥1,034
179.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.2
$2.47 ¥391
-28.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.2
$2.19 ¥347
31.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$0.88 ¥140
64.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,832
$56.1 ¥8,883
-2.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.5
$3.11 ¥493
-51.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿25.90
$3.83 ¥607
-79.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿128
$25.66 ¥4,064
-85.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.65
$1.06 ¥167
40.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿897.3K
$21.6K ¥3.4M
24.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.4K
$15.1K ¥2.4M
74.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,265
$134 ¥21.3K
-27.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿377
$20.69 ¥3,277
-45.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿574
$36.77 ¥5,823
-53.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,281
$52.1 ¥8,248
31.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿365
$25.24 ¥3,998
-56.74%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿248
$13.18 ¥2,087
-43.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.7K
$782 ¥123.9K
-32.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿626.9K
$17.6K ¥2.8M
6.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,059
$49.24 ¥7,799
25.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿943
$31.63 ¥5,010
-10.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,204
$62.5 ¥9,898
53.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,898
$88.7 ¥14.1K
-2.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.1K
$936 ¥148.2K
-22.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.0K
$564 ¥89.3K
-9.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.1K
$1,601 ¥253.6K
21.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.6K
$932 ¥147.7K
49.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿139.9K
$4,211 ¥667.0K
-0.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.1K
$2,277 ¥360.7K
44.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Hachioji
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.4K
$2,747 ¥435.1K
-82.10%
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 Hachioji: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Hachioji
$564 10.7% $55
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Hachioji
$290 8.8% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Hachioji
$192 51.9% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Hachioji
$104 14.9% $18
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Hachioji
$119 0.7% $0.8
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Hachioji
$78 5.7% $4.7
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Hachioji
$82 23.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $936 in Hachioji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hachioji pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Hachioji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $290 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇯🇵 Hachioji
🕒 Local time
11:39 11:39 AM
13:39 1:39 PM
2 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
555,517
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Hachioji 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Hachioji

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 Hachioji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Hachioji?
Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Hachioji. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Phuket or in Hachioji?
On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Hachioji?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $936 in Hachioji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Hachioji?
All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $1,429 in Hachioji – Phuket is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Are groceries more expensive in Phuket or in Hachioji?
Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Hachioji. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Hachioji?
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.
How safe is Phuket compared to Hachioji?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Hachioji are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Should I move to Phuket or to Hachioji?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Hachioji on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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