Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,205 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,205

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Koriyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,205 in Koriyama.

Phuket $1,278
Koriyama $1,205

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,922 in Koriyama.

Phuket $2,216
Koriyama $1,922

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,640 in Koriyama.

Phuket $3,154
Koriyama $2,640

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Koriyama 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.75 ¥908

-22.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$33.79 ¥5,335

-4.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.50 ¥868

60.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.06 ¥484

-7.52%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.18 ¥186

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.88 ¥138

-44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.33 ¥367

9.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.10 ¥489

18.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.29 ¥204

28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.72 ¥272

-15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.36 ¥689

-65.60%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.31 ¥365

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.62 ¥1,835

64.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.68 ¥1,055

-50.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.94 ¥2,832

-39.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.98 ¥629

-26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.06 ¥325

-17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.87 ¥453

-21.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.21 ¥665

-50.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.27 ¥358

-33.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.82 ¥446

-51.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.45 ¥229

-26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.95 ¥150

-45.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.24 ¥670

-0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.05 ¥956

210.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.77 ¥280

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.28 ¥361

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.45 ¥230

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$62.6 ¥9,879

-9.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.07 ¥484

-1.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.21 ¥507

-68.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$19.37 ¥3,059

-80.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.94 ¥148

56.38%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$24.2K ¥3.8M

10.69%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

76.87%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$123 ¥19.4K

-21.74%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.55 ¥3,718

-52.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$33.61 ¥5,306

-49.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$53.5 ¥8,447

25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.98 ¥1,733

-31.69%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$687 ¥108.5K

-30.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

-14.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$46.90 ¥7,405

32.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$34.98 ¥5,523

-18.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$68.5 ¥10.8K

37.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$89.9 ¥14.2K

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$540 ¥85.3K

32.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$329 ¥51.9K

49.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$970 ¥153.1K

98.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$748 ¥118.1K

91.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,974 ¥627.4K

5.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,190 ¥345.7K

39.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Koriyama

$329 27.3% 33% $162

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Koriyama

$299 24.8% 12.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Koriyama

$180 15% 44.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Koriyama

$108 9% 11.3% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Koriyama

$125 10.4% 3% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Koriyama

$75 6.3% 8.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Koriyama

$88 7.3% 24% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $540 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in Koriyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $299 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

327,692

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Koriyama 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Koriyama

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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,205 in Koriyama, so Koriyama is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,807 in Koriyama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $540 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 9% less than in Koriyama. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $687 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Koriyama gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Koriyama are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.