Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nagasaki Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nagasaki

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,178 in Nagasaki.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,884 in Nagasaki.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $2,590 in Nagasaki.

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than Nagasaki, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Nagasaki 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$5.50 ¥880

-15.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$20.61 ¥3,298

127.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$5.67 ¥907

55.91%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.16 ¥506

-5.06%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$1.08 ¥172

-31.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.76 ¥122

-51.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.46 ¥393

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.39 ¥383

51.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.61 ¥257

40.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.27 ¥203

44.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$4.20 ¥673

-46.67%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.20 ¥351

5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$10.27 ¥1,644

91.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.46 ¥554

5.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$20.52 ¥3,284

-36.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$3.20 ¥513

5.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.38 ¥221

18.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.43 ¥229

68.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$5.95 ¥952

-65.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$2.70 ¥432

-42.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$3.28 ¥524

-54.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.92 ¥148

10.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.53 ¥84.4

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.81 ¥609

16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$6.13 ¥981

207.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.01 ¥322

-11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.04 ¥327

34.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.94 ¥151

48.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$114 ¥18.2K

-89.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$4.17 ¥667

-25.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$2.91 ¥465

-65.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$19.21 ¥3,076

-26.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.20 ¥192

12.50%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$23.5K ¥3.8M

15.53%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$20.0K ¥3.2M

64.77%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$217 ¥34.8K

-42.47%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$26.86 ¥4,300

-49.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$36.27 ¥5,807

-48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$56.4 ¥9,035

8.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$14.06 ¥2,251

19.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$13.61 ¥2,179

-32.48%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$265 ¥42.4K

163.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$13.5K ¥2.2M

15.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$43.77 ¥7,006

31.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$30.05 ¥4,811

17.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$65.4 ¥10.5K

73.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$59.7 ¥9,553

44.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$313 ¥50.1K

96.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$206 ¥32.9K

116.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$881 ¥141.0K

132.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$654 ¥104.6K

128.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$4,531 ¥725.3K

-16.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,615 ¥258.6K

63.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.67

219.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Nagasaki: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $313 in Nagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Nagasaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $275 per month, with Nagasaki cheaper across the board.

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 Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nagasaki is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $1,766 in Nagasaki 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: $616 in Phuket versus $313 in Nagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nagasaki – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,178 in Nagasaki versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nagasaki but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nagasaki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nagasaki is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Nagasaki are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nagasaki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.