Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hamamatsu Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hamamatsu

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,110 in Hamamatsu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,843 in Hamamatsu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $2,577 in Hamamatsu.

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Hamamatsu 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$4.82 ¥772

-3.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$42.39 ¥6,786

10.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$3.55 ¥568

149.01%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.08 ¥493

-2.60%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.66 ¥106

12.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.82 ¥131

-54.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.09 ¥335

16.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.72 ¥435

32.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.53 ¥244

47.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.69 ¥270

8.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$4.84 ¥774

-53.72%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.84 ¥295

26.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$9.99 ¥1,600

96.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$6.39 ¥1,022

-42.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$15.47 ¥2,476

-15.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$4.14 ¥663

-18.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$2.14 ¥342

-23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$3.56 ¥569

-32.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$4.13 ¥661

-50.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$3.28 ¥524

-52.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$4.34 ¥694

-65.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.39 ¥222

-26.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.86 ¥138

-43.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.49 ¥559

27.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$9.66 ¥1,547

95.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.77 ¥283

0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.05 ¥328

34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.07 ¥171

30.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$55.8 ¥8,932

-79.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$3.45 ¥553

-9.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$3.02 ¥484

-66.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$22.35 ¥3,579

-36.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.21 ¥193

11.57%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$20.8K ¥3.3M

30.40%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$13.9K ¥2.2M

136.69%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$109 ¥17.4K

15.19%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.90 ¥1,585

37.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$21.21 ¥3,396

-12.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$103 ¥16.5K

-40.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$18.58 ¥2,974

-9.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$13.60 ¥2,177

-32.43%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$285 ¥45.6K

145.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$14.0K ¥2.2M

10.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$41.48 ¥6,639

39.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$27.83 ¥4,454

26.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$54.5 ¥8,716

107.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$104 ¥16.7K

-17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$378 ¥60.5K

63.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$244 ¥39.1K

82.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$881 ¥141.1K

132.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$584 ¥93.5K

155.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$7,566 ¥1.2M

-50.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$5,338 ¥854.5K

-50.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,413 ¥226.2K

-62.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

0.95

461.05%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Hamamatsu: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $378 in Hamamatsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamamatsu pays 170% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Hamamatsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $302, 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 Hamamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Hamamatsu differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,232 vs $1,110 including rent). Hamamatsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Hamamatsu earns 170% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $378 in Hamamatsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamamatsu – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,110 in Hamamatsu versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamamatsu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hamamatsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Hamamatsu 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 Hamamatsu 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.