Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maebashi

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Maebashi: $1,207 and $1,216 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Maebashi
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Maebashi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Maebashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Maebashi

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,216 in Maebashi, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Maebashi $1,216

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,956 in Maebashi, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Maebashi $1,956

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $2,696 in Maebashi, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Maebashi $2,696

Phuket is about 1% cheaper than Maebashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Maebashi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Maebashi 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$4.39 ¥694

4.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$31.47 ¥4,972

3.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.16 ¥815

65.70%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.48 ¥392

9.68%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.77 ¥122

22.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.61 ¥96.7

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.25 ¥355

15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.23 ¥510

18.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.22 ¥192

42.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.53 ¥241

-6.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.35 ¥213

13.33%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.63 ¥258

33.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$15.66 ¥2,473

22.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.42 ¥698

-25.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$16.95 ¥2,679

-34.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$8.15 ¥1,288

-63.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.03 ¥478

-44.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$4.91 ¥776

-53.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$7.65 ¥1,208

-72.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.96 ¥626

-61.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$4.75 ¥751

-71.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.17 ¥184

-4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.49 ¥77.8

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.94 ¥623

8.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.35 ¥1,477

94.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.50 ¥395

-30.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.07 ¥327

34.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.51 ¥238

47.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$52.8 ¥8,335

-58.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.18 ¥502

-8.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.83 ¥447

-64.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$31.19 ¥4,927

-87.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.07 ¥169

39.25%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

25.12%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

74.19%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$118 ¥18.6K

-15.62%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$23.00 ¥3,633

-50.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$31.59 ¥4,992

-45.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$51.5 ¥8,141

1.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$31.51 ¥4,978

-65.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$11.16 ¥1,764

-32.17%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$575 ¥90.8K

-2.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$14.4K ¥2.3M

-20.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$49.39 ¥7,803

27.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$35.13 ¥5,550

-18.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$60.7 ¥9,586

58.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$98.9 ¥15.6K

-10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$529 ¥83.6K

37.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$337 ¥53.3K

36.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,091 ¥172.3K

92.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$743 ¥117.4K

64.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,756 ¥593.4K

-7.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,859 ¥293.6K

33.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,696 ¥267.9K

-70.93%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Maebashi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Maebashi

$337 27.7% 26.7% $123

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Maebashi

$343 28.2% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Maebashi

$172 14.2% 34.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Maebashi

$110 9% 11.5% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Maebashi

$104 8.5% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Maebashi

$74 6.1% 9.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Maebashi

$76 6.3% 95.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $529 in Maebashi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 244% higher in Maebashi, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $31.00 in Maebashi. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $343 in Maebashi – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Maebashi

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

324,644

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Phuket Maebashi 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Maebashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maebashi is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,824 in Maebashi. 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.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $1,216 in Maebashi. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Maebashi at $1,216. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maebashi 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, Maebashi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.