Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,277 in Nagasaki, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nagasaki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,277 in Nagasaki.

Phuket $1,207
Nagasaki $1,277

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,859 in Nagasaki.

Phuket $2,037
Nagasaki $1,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,441 in Nagasaki.

Phuket $2,867
Nagasaki $2,441

Living in Phuket costs roughly 5% less than in Nagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Nagasaki 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$5.00 ¥789

-8.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$18.95 ¥2,994

71.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.92 ¥778

73.78%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.76 ¥594

-27.66%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.05 ¥166

-10.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.72 ¥113

-31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.24 ¥355

15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.25 ¥356

70.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.55 ¥244

12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.89 ¥299

-24.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$6.32 ¥998

-75.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.02 ¥319

7.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$9.69 ¥1,531

97.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.18 ¥502

3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$19.16 ¥3,028

-41.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.71 ¥586

-20.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.88 ¥296

-10.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.76 ¥435

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.35 ¥530

-36.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.15 ¥340

-28.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.55 ¥402

-46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.07 ¥170

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.92 ¥146

-40.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.97 ¥628

7.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.18 ¥977

194.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.64 ¥260

6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.85 ¥292

50.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.65 ¥261

34.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$53.9 ¥8,518

-59.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.96 ¥625

-26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.03 ¥321

-50.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$17.87 ¥2,823

-78.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.07 ¥169

39.25%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

21.35%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$17.7K ¥2.8M

51.15%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$209 ¥33.0K

-52.44%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$24.63 ¥3,892

-54.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$32.77 ¥5,178

-47.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$46.08 ¥7,281

13.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$11.22 ¥1,772

-32.53%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$126 ¥19.8K

344.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-6.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$49.78 ¥7,864

26.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$26.03 ¥4,113

9.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$66.6 ¥10.5K

44.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$47.35 ¥7,480

85.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$535 ¥84.6K

36.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$380 ¥60.1K

20.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,193 ¥188.5K

75.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$683 ¥108.0K

78.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,200 ¥663.6K

-17.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,759 ¥277.9K

41.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 13, 2026

Last update for Nagasaki: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Nagasaki

$380 29.8% 17.3% $80

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Nagasaki

$279 21.9% 4.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Nagasaki

$266 20.9% 108% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nagasaki

$85 6.7% 31.2% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Nagasaki

$123 9.6% 1.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Nagasaki

$69 5.4% 1.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Nagasaki

$75 5.8% 91.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $535 in Nagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $19.00 in Nagasaki. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $279, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

409,118

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Phuket Nagasaki 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,915 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: $729 in Phuket versus $535 in Nagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Nagasaki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $19.00 in Nagasaki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,277 in Nagasaki, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Nagasaki. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nagasaki, 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Nagasaki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.