Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matsudo

For one person, living is cheaper in Matsudo: $1,239 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $470 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 Matsudo
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Matsudo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Matsudo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Matsudo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,239 in Matsudo.

Phuket $1,278
Matsudo $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,907 in Matsudo.

Phuket $2,216
Matsudo $1,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,574 in Matsudo.

Phuket $3,154
Matsudo $2,574

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Matsudo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Matsudo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.20 ¥976

-27.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$37.45 ¥5,900

-13.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.94 ¥778

78.34%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.54 ¥558

-20.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.10 ¥174

-20.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.79 ¥124

-37.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.58 ¥406

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.13 ¥494

17.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.45 ¥228

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.67 ¥264

-12.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.60 ¥567

-58.33%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.99 ¥313

5.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.36 ¥1,631

84.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.96 ¥938

-44.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.76 ¥2,325

-26.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.82 ¥760

-39.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.27 ¥357

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.82 ¥445

-20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.23 ¥666

-50.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.64 ¥416

-42.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.66 ¥419

-48.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.19 ¥188

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.76 ¥120

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.78 ¥595

11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.43 ¥1,014

192.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.71 ¥270

6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.01 ¥317

41.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.52 ¥239

-4.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$57.6 ¥9,071

-1.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.15 ¥496

-4.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.69 ¥423

-62.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.50 ¥2,914

-80.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.10 ¥173

33.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

22.18%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

78.58%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$135 ¥21.3K

-28.72%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.07 ¥3,634

-51.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$30.51 ¥4,807

-44.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$45.93 ¥7,234

46.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.05 ¥2,056

-42.53%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$835 ¥131.5K

-42.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-23.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$55.8 ¥8,788

11.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$32.81 ¥5,169

-13.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$62.5 ¥9,847

50.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$70.7 ¥11.1K

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$593 ¥93.4K

20.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$383 ¥60.4K

28.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$904 ¥142.4K

113.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$718 ¥113.1K

99.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,478 ¥705.4K

-6.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,545 ¥400.8K

19.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.25

147.56%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Matsudo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Matsudo

$383 31% 21.9% $107

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Matsudo

$281 22.7% 5.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Matsudo

$189 15.2% 51.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Matsudo

$100 8.1% 18.1% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Matsudo

$134 10.8% 9.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Matsudo

$72 5.8% 12.4% $10

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Matsudo

$80 6.5% 13.7% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $593 in Matsudo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Matsudo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $281 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Matsudo

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

485,803

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 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 Matsudo 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Matsudo

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 Matsudo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matsudo is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,859 in Matsudo 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 $593 in Matsudo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,239 in Matsudo – Matsudo is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Matsudo 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 Matsudo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.