Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,189 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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 Morioka
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Morioka Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Morioka

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,189 in Morioka, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Morioka $1,189

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,898 in Morioka, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Morioka $1,898

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,607 in Morioka, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Morioka $2,607

Phuket costs about 8% more than Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Phuket and Morioka are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Morioka 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.22 ¥982

-28.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$32.27 ¥5,094

0.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.15 ¥813

71.07%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.06 ¥482

-7.52%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.14 ¥180

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.80 ¥127

-38.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.63 ¥415

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.23 ¥511

13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.47 ¥232

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.54 ¥243

-5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.08 ¥644

-63.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.13 ¥336

-1.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$9.94 ¥1,569

91.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.45 ¥1,176

-55.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.63 ¥2,626

-34.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.03 ¥636

-27.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.08 ¥328

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.03 ¥479

-25.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.77 ¥752

-56.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.78 ¥438

-45.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.73 ¥431

-49.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.33 ¥210

-19.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.91 ¥144

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.57 ¥564

17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.82 ¥1,077

175.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.67 ¥264

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.39 ¥378

18.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.47 ¥232

-1.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$57.6 ¥9,086

-1.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.24 ¥511

-6.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.11 ¥491

-67.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$19.05 ¥3,008

-80.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.06 ¥168

38.68%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.0K ¥3.0M

40.70%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

72.48%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$137 ¥21.6K

-29.61%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.86 ¥3,768

-52.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.17 ¥4,921

-45.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$50.5 ¥7,975

33.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.62 ¥2,151

-44.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$759 ¥119.8K

-37.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

-16.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$43.09 ¥6,803

44.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.59 ¥4,987

-10.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$69.6 ¥11.0K

35.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$102 ¥16.1K

-15.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$626 ¥98.9K

14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$300 ¥47.3K

63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$916 ¥144.7K

110.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$706 ¥111.5K

102.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,709 ¥743.5K

-11.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,118 ¥334.4K

43.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.21

152.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Morioka

$300 25.2% 39% $191

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Morioka

$297 25% 11.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Morioka

$192 16.1% 54.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Morioka

$111 9.3% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Morioka

$129 10.9% 6.2% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Morioka

$78 6.5% 5.4% $4.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Morioka

$82 6.9% 16.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $626 in Morioka. 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 in Phuket versus $32 in Morioka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $297 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Morioka

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

289,731

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Morioka 5,520 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Morioka

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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,189 in Morioka – Morioka comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,783 in Morioka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Morioka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $626 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $759 in Morioka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,189 in Morioka. That makes Morioka about 7% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,189 in Morioka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,189 in Morioka to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.