Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Himeji

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,283 in Himeji, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. The total is higher in Himeji despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
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Himeji Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Himeji

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,283 in Himeji, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Himeji $1,283

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,047 in Himeji, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Himeji $2,047

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,811 in Himeji, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Himeji $2,811

Phuket is about 6% cheaper than Himeji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Himeji are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Himeji 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$8.46 ¥1,336

-47.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.07 ¥4,909

3.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.11 ¥807

71.43%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.35 ¥371

20.43%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.24 ¥196

-27.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.82 ¥129

-42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.20 ¥505

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.06 ¥483

25.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.56 ¥247

10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.48 ¥233

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.12 ¥650

-63.35%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.18 ¥344

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$15.50 ¥2,449

27.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.78 ¥1,072

-50.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$16.88 ¥2,667

-33.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$8.37 ¥1,323

-65.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.97 ¥470

-42.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$5.06 ¥799

-56.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$7.86 ¥1,241

-73.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.90 ¥617

-62.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$4.70 ¥743

-70.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.12 ¥177

-4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.89 ¥141

-42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.87 ¥611

10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.74 ¥1,539

90.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.61 ¥412

-31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.10 ¥332

35.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.44 ¥228

56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$53.0 ¥8,373

-58.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.13 ¥494

-3.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.82 ¥446

-62.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$15.45 ¥2,441

-75.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.07 ¥168

35.51%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

22.42%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

78.44%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$118 ¥18.6K

-18.06%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.44 ¥3,704

-52.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$31.67 ¥5,003

-45.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$52.6 ¥8,314

-0.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.36 ¥1,795

-31.25%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$564 ¥89.1K

-1.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

-21.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.92 ¥7,886

28.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$35.51 ¥5,611

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$61.6 ¥9,739

54.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$99.2 ¥15.7K

-11.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$541 ¥85.4K

36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$328 ¥51.8K

40.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,100 ¥173.8K

90.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$729 ¥115.2K

64.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,304 ¥680.0K

-18.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,725 ¥272.5K

46.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.02

175.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Himeji: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Himeji

$328 25.6% 29% $134

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Himeji

$379 29.5% 41% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Himeji

$173 13.5% 38.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Himeji

$111 8.6% 10.8% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Himeji

$142 11% 16.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Himeji

$75 5.9% 11.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Himeji

$76 5.9% 92.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $541 in Himeji. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $31.00 in Himeji. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $379 in Himeji – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Himeji

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

535,571

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Himeji 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Himeji

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 Himeji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Himeji is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,925 in Himeji. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Himeji, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $31.00 in Himeji. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Himeji at $1,283. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Himeji it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Himeji makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.