Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matsudo Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matsudo

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,146 in Matsudo.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,863 in Matsudo.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,580 in Matsudo.

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Matsudo, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Matsudo 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$7.13 ¥1,159

-36.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.59 ¥5,621

33.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.31 ¥863

66.48%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.15 ¥512

-2.86%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.13 ¥183

-35.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.80 ¥131

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.04 ¥331

19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$2.03 ¥331

86.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.55 ¥252

45.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.69 ¥275

7.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.05 ¥820

-55.45%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$1.58 ¥256

42.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$10.15 ¥1,649

92.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.41 ¥1,042

-43.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$15.24 ¥2,477

-14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.99 ¥973

-46.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$3.17 ¥514

-48.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$3.97 ¥646

-40.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$4.61 ¥749

-55.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$3.32 ¥540

-53.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.57 ¥580

-57.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.34 ¥218

-26.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.83 ¥134

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.28 ¥696

3.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$9.46 ¥1,537

93.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.76 ¥286

5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.10 ¥342

27.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.61 ¥261

-12.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$55.8 ¥9,062

-79.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.52 ¥573

-11.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$2.99 ¥485

-65.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$21.75 ¥3,534

-35.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.14 ¥185

14.91%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$23.2K ¥3.8M

19.96%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$18.5K ¥3.0M

79.52%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$82.0 ¥13.3K

49.28%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.63 ¥4,490

-50.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$17.47 ¥2,838

7.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$55.1 ¥8,945

9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.93 ¥2,264

21.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$11.29 ¥1,834

-19.66%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$277 ¥45.0K

155.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$13.8K ¥2.2M

14.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$41.38 ¥6,723

41.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$29.57 ¥4,804

19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$60.6 ¥9,838

90.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$97.7 ¥15.9K

-14.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$476 ¥77.4K

31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$332 ¥53.9K

34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$857 ¥139.3K

138.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$659 ¥107.1K

126.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$4,109 ¥667.6K

-15.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$2,141 ¥347.9K

20.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$1,974 ¥320.7K

-74.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

2.05

160.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Matsudo: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $476 in Matsudo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Matsudo pays 295% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Matsudo. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $319, 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 Matsudo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matsudo is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 295% lower in Matsudo. 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: $626 in Phuket versus $476 in Matsudo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Matsudo runs roughly 377% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $277 in Matsudo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,146 in Matsudo versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Matsudo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Matsudo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Matsudo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Matsudo 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 Matsudo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.