Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Miyazaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Miyazaki: $1,105 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Miyazaki
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,105
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Miyazaki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,105 in Miyazaki.

  • Phuket $1,208
  • Miyazaki $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,754 in Miyazaki.

  • Phuket $2,027
  • Miyazaki $1,754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,402 in Miyazaki.

  • Phuket $2,845
  • Miyazaki $2,402

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Miyazaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Miyazaki 18% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 ฿147
$6.21 ¥982
-29.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.26 ฿1,078
$27.67 ¥4,371
16.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ฿293
$4.65 ¥735
88.39%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿94.5
$2.20 ¥347
28.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ฿30.14
$1.00 ¥159
-10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ฿15.56
$0.65 ¥103
-27.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ฿85.2
$1.54 ¥243
65.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$2.19 ¥346
74.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 ฿57.7
$1.29 ¥204
34.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 ฿49.11
$1.56 ¥246
-5.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.6
$2.46 ¥389
-38.62%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$2.10 ¥332
3.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.70 ฿658
$12.67 ¥2,001
55.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.34 ฿112
$5.24 ¥828
-36.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿373
$18.99 ¥3,001
-41.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ฿95.1
$3.54 ¥559
-19.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.9
$1.79 ¥282
-5.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.3
$2.92 ¥462
-25.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.4
$3.13 ¥494
-34.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 ฿48.57
$1.84 ¥291
-21.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.16
$1.92 ¥303
-28.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.69
$0.66 ¥103
62.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.91
$0.91 ¥143
-43.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$3.86 ¥609
10.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.58 ฿621
$6.33 ¥1,000
193.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿59.7
$1.66 ¥263
7.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.2
$1.81 ¥286
57.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 ฿75.6
$1.52 ¥241
48.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.10 ฿738
$52.6 ¥8,315
-58.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 ฿101
$3.39 ¥535
-11.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.34
$2.03 ¥320
-47.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 ฿129
$15.96 ¥2,522
-75.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.45
$1.01 ¥160
43.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.9K
$21.3K ¥3.4M
23.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿900.4K
$14.8K ¥2.3M
81.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,221
$107 ¥16.9K
-9.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.04 ฿369
$24.98 ¥3,947
-55.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.14 ฿573
$33.21 ¥5,247
-48.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ฿1,744
$53.0 ¥8,372
-1.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.16 ฿373
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.81 ฿261
$10.95 ¥1,729
-28.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 ฿18.6K
$127 ¥20.1K
336.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K ฿387.0K
$12.4K ¥2.0M
-6.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 ฿2,146
$48.45 ¥7,655
32.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.69 ฿959
$24.75 ¥3,910
15.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 ฿3,187
$56.2 ¥8,877
69.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 ฿2,940
$47.91 ¥7,569
83.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 ฿24.6K
$528 ¥83.4K
39.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 ฿15.5K
$333 ¥52.6K
38.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 ฿70.0K
$1,084 ¥171.2K
93.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ฿40.1K
$739 ¥116.8K
62.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,488 ฿116.6K
$4,299 ¥679.1K
-18.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,523 ฿84.3K
$1,750 ¥276.5K
44.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Miyazaki
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.7K
$1,281 ¥202.4K
-60.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
1.97
182.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Miyazaki: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$462
Miyazaki
$333 27.9% $129
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$269
Miyazaki
$271 0.9% $2.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Miyazaki
$165 32.6% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Miyazaki
$80 35.8% $45
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Miyazaki
$109 10.3% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Miyazaki
$75 10.5% $7.1
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Miyazaki
$72 83.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $528 in Miyazaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miyazaki pays 156% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $28.00 in Miyazaki. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $271, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇯🇵 Miyazaki
🕒 Local time
11:13 11:13 AM
13:13 1:13 PM
2 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
401,339
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Miyazaki 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Miyazaki

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 Miyazaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Miyazaki?
Phuket and Miyazaki differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $1,105 including rent). Miyazaki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 156% lower in Miyazaki. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Miyazaki?
Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $528 in Miyazaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Miyazaki – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Miyazaki?
All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,105 in Miyazaki – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,105 in Miyazaki versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miyazaki but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Miyazaki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Miyazaki?
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.
Is Phuket or Miyazaki safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Miyazaki are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Miyazaki?
Expats usually find Miyazaki 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.

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