Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matsuyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,277 in Matsuyama, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Matsuyama despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Matsuyama

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,277 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Matsuyama $1,277

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,017 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Matsuyama $2,017

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,758 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Matsuyama $2,758

Phuket is about 5% cheaper than Matsuyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Matsuyama are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Matsuyama 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$6.38 ¥1,008

-31.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$30.99 ¥4,896

4.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.71 ¥744

85.99%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.38 ¥376

18.91%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.19 ¥188

-24.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.58 ¥91.7

-18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.09 ¥330

22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.29 ¥361

67.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.50 ¥238

15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.33 ¥210

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$5.40 ¥853

-72.04%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.08 ¥329

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.49 ¥1,974

57.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.48 ¥1,498

-64.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$32.49 ¥5,134

-65.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.67 ¥579

-22.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.32 ¥367

-26.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$6.34 ¥1,001

-65.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.24 ¥670

-51.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.67 ¥580

-60.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.45 ¥545

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.24 ¥196

-13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.97 ¥154

-47.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.51 ¥555

21.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.99 ¥1,262

132.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.97 ¥312

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.44 ¥227

97.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.44 ¥228

56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$52.7 ¥8,327

-58.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.23 ¥510

-6.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$3.08 ¥486

-65.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$26.40 ¥4,170

-85.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.10 ¥173

31.82%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$20.0K ¥3.2M

31.45%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$16.7K ¥2.6M

61.32%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$144 ¥22.8K

-33.21%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.66 ¥3,738

-53.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$43.16 ¥6,819

-60.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$53.0 ¥8,379

-1.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$12.54 ¥1,982

-37.72%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$319 ¥50.3K

74.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,069 ¥958.9K

90.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.43 ¥7,809

29.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$25.19 ¥3,980

13.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$46.18 ¥7,297

106.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$66.3 ¥10.5K

32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$526 ¥83.2K

40.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$328 ¥51.8K

41.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,122 ¥177.3K

86.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$724 ¥114.4K

65.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,302 ¥679.6K

-18.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,726 ¥272.6K

46.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.28

144.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Matsuyama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Matsuyama

$328 25.7% 29.1% $135

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Matsuyama

$383 30% 42.4% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Matsuyama

$211 16.5% 69.5% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Matsuyama

$84 6.6% 32.3% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Matsuyama

$116 9.1% 4.5% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Matsuyama

$78 6.1% 15.3% $10

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Matsuyama

$77 6% 95.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $526 in Matsuyama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $31.00 in Matsuyama. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $383 in Matsuyama – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

511,192

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Matsuyama 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Matsuyama

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 Matsuyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $1,277 in Matsuyama – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,915 in Matsuyama. 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.

Public transport costs about 139% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $319 in Matsuyama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Matsuyama at $1,277. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Matsuyama it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,277 in Matsuyama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Matsuyama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.