Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nagano

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Nagano: $1,208 and $1,231 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Nagano
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Nagano Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Nagano

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nagano

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,231 in Nagano, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Nagano $1,231

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,891 in Nagano, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Nagano $1,891

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,550 in Nagano, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Nagano $2,550

Phuket is about 2% cheaper than Nagano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Nagano are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Nagano 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$6.45 ¥1,019

-31.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$40.32 ¥6,370

-19.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.13 ¥810

70.76%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.37 ¥532

-16.02%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.06 ¥167

-15.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.80 ¥126

-41.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.59 ¥409

-1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.06 ¥483

25.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.45 ¥228

19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.64 ¥260

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.57 ¥564

-57.70%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.99 ¥315

9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.32 ¥1,630

90.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.17 ¥975

-45.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.40 ¥2,275

-22.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.82 ¥919

-51.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.69 ¥425

-36.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.84 ¥448

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.06 ¥642

-49.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.50 ¥396

-42.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.54 ¥401

-45.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.25 ¥197

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.76 ¥121

-32.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.68 ¥582

15.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.21 ¥982

199.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.82 ¥287

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.01 ¥317

41.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.31 ¥207

72.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$51.2 ¥8,082

-56.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.17 ¥501

-5.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.70 ¥427

-60.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$20.17 ¥3,187

-80.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.05 ¥166

38.10%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

21.90%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

74.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$130 ¥20.6K

-25.95%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.91 ¥3,778

-53.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$12.76 ¥2,016

34.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$53.1 ¥8,387

-1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$12.71 ¥2,008

-38.55%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$622 ¥98.3K

-10.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-22.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$61.8 ¥9,759

3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$36.29 ¥5,733

-20.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$62.0 ¥9,797

53.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$100 ¥15.8K

-12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$557 ¥88.0K

32.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$375 ¥59.2K

23.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,142 ¥180.4K

83.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$648 ¥102.4K

85.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,188 ¥661.7K

-16.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,974 ¥311.9K

27.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$627 ¥99.0K

-20.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.64

110.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nagano: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Nagano

$375 30.4% 18.9% $88

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Nagano

$287 23.3% 6.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Nagano

$167 13.6% 33.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nagano

$117 9.5% 5.8% $7.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Nagano

$134 10.9% 10.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Nagano

$79 6.4% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nagano

$73 5.9% 85.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $557 in Nagano. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Nagano, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $40.00 in Nagano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $287 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Nagano

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

372,760

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nagano 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nagano

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 Nagano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nagano costs about 2% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,847 in Nagano. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $40.00 in Nagano. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $1,231 in Nagano. That's a gap of about 2%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Nagano at $1,231. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nagano it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,231 in Nagano. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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