Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nagoya

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,375 in Nagoya, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Nagoya despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nagoya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,375 in Nagoya.

Phuket $1,278
Nagoya $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,052 in Nagoya.

Phuket $2,216
Nagoya $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,730 in Nagoya.

Phuket $3,154
Nagoya $2,730

Living in Phuket costs roughly 7% less than in Nagoya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.58 ¥1,353

-47.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$32.23 ¥5,083

0.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.18 ¥816

70.08%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.55 ¥403

10.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.26 ¥199

-30.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.91 ¥143

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.11 ¥490

-17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.08 ¥485

19.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.51 ¥239

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.49 ¥235

-2.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.22 ¥666

-64.45%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.23 ¥352

-6.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$16.05 ¥2,531

18.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.84 ¥1,079

-51.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.07 ¥2,692

-36.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$8.56 ¥1,350

-65.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.03 ¥478

-44.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.98 ¥786

-54.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$7.66 ¥1,208

-72.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.97 ¥626

-61.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$4.72 ¥744

-70.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.18 ¥186

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.94 ¥148

-44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.05 ¥638

3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.72 ¥1,533

93.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.50 ¥395

-27.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.19 ¥345

29.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.35 ¥213

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$89.2 ¥14.1K

-36.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.15 ¥496

-4.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.87 ¥453

-64.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$15.97 ¥2,518

-76.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.11 ¥175

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

24.20%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

76.90%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$114 ¥18.0K

-15.72%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.77 ¥3,748

-52.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.40 ¥4,951

-46.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$43.67 ¥6,886

53.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.90 ¥2,191

-22.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.59 ¥1,986

-40.43%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$687 ¥108.3K

-30.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

-23.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$51.2 ¥8,075

21.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$35.35 ¥5,574

-19.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$61.8 ¥9,750

52.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$99.9 ¥15.7K

-14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$558 ¥88.0K

28.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$385 ¥60.7K

27.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$937 ¥147.8K

105.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$555 ¥87.5K

157.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,555 ¥560.5K

17.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,971 ¥310.8K

54.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,881 ¥296.6K

-73.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.02

175.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nagoya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nagoya

$385 28% 21.6% $106

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nagoya

$382 27.8% 43.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nagoya

$169 12.3% 36.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nagoya

$112 8.1% 8.3% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nagoya

$145 10.6% 19.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nagoya

$69 5% 16.3% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nagoya

$112 8.2% 58.8% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $558 in Nagoya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nagoya pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Nagoya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $382 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,236,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Nagoya 4,950 km ≈ 7 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 Nagoya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $558 in Nagoya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Nagoya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,375 in Nagoya – Phuket is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Nagoya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Nagoya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.