Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koriyama Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koriyama

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,211 in Koriyama.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,924 in Koriyama.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $2,637 in Koriyama.

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Koriyama, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Koriyama 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$6.09 ¥935

-23.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$31.00 ¥4,760

3.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$5.06 ¥777

71.54%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$3.04 ¥467

-4.61%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$1.04 ¥160

-19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.77 ¥118

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$2.55 ¥392

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$3.08 ¥473

21.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.44 ¥221

31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$1.46 ¥225

-3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$4.04 ¥621

-59.90%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$1.98 ¥303

13.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$11.38 ¥1,747

74.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$6.34 ¥973

-45.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$17.34 ¥2,663

-34.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$5.10 ¥783

-43.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$2.32 ¥356

-25.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$3.19 ¥489

-28.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$4.08 ¥626

-47.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$2.55 ¥392

-42.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$2.31 ¥355

-38.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$1.27 ¥195

-13.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.79 ¥121

-24.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$3.86 ¥593

11.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$7.58 ¥1,164

145.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$1.76 ¥271

2.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$2.12 ¥325

40.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$1.45 ¥223

55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$55.3 ¥8,495

-57.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$3.20 ¥491

-3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$2.77 ¥426

-61.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$18.48 ¥2,837

-79.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.06 ¥162

34.91%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$21.5K ¥3.3M

29.28%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

82.54%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$129 ¥19.8K

-18.81%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$23.83 ¥3,660

-52.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$31.35 ¥4,814

-44.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$49.92 ¥7,665

8.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$11.68 ¥1,794

-33.39%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$548 ¥84.2K

5.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$13.1K ¥2.0M

-11.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$49.16 ¥7,549

29.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$32.30 ¥4,959

-9.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$60.4 ¥9,276

59.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$91.7 ¥14.1K

-1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$466 ¥71.5K

57.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$327 ¥50.2K

53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$1,071 ¥164.4K

98.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$736 ¥113.0K

70.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$4,353 ¥668.5K

-18.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,893 ¥290.7K

38.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.06

170.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $466 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Koriyama. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $298, 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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Koriyama differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,265 vs $1,211 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,817 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: $733 in Phuket versus $466 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 136% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $548 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,211 in Koriyama versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama 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 Koriyama 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 Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.