Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Narita

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $900 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 Narita
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Narita Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Narita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,203 in Narita.

Phuket $1,278
Narita $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,912 in Narita.

Phuket $2,216
Narita $1,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,620 in Narita.

Phuket $3,154
Narita $2,620

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Narita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Narita 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.73 ¥904

-21.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$41.80 ¥6,592

-22.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.42 ¥697

99.32%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.25 ¥513

-12.92%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.78 ¥124

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.73 ¥116

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.07 ¥326

23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.22 ¥508

14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.25 ¥196

32.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.72 ¥272

-15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.63 ¥573

-58.68%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.98 ¥313

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.31 ¥1,626

84.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.13 ¥966

-46.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.34 ¥2,262

-23.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.83 ¥919

-49.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.73 ¥431

-38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.91 ¥460

-22.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.16 ¥656

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.64 ¥417

-42.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.69 ¥423

-48.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.30 ¥206

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.82 ¥129

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.78 ¥596

11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.22 ¥980

202.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.79 ¥283

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.09 ¥329

35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.48 ¥234

-2.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$64.9 ¥10.2K

-12.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.25 ¥512

-7.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.62 ¥255

-37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$20.95 ¥3,303

-82.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.03 ¥162

42.72%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

22.90%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$16.1K ¥2.5M

66.04%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$131 ¥20.6K

-26.29%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.14 ¥3,806

-53.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$28.35 ¥4,470

-40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$52.3 ¥8,254

28.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.49 ¥1,811

-34.73%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$828 ¥130.6K

-42.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-24.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$62.3 ¥9,818

0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$36.42 ¥5,742

-21.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$61.0 ¥9,620

54.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$105 ¥16.5K

-18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$540 ¥85.1K

32.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$334 ¥52.6K

47.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$901 ¥142.1K

113.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$700 ¥110.3K

104.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,825 ¥603.2K

9.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,316 ¥365.3K

31.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,258 ¥198.3K

-60.07%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Narita: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Narita

$334 27.7% 32% $157

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Narita

$289 24% 8.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Narita

$183 15.2% 47.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Narita

$119 9.9% 2.3% $2.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Narita

$121 10.1% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Narita

$75 6.3% 8.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Narita

$82 6.8% 16.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $540 in Narita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Narita pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Narita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $289 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Narita

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

21:12 9:12 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

131,613

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Narita 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Narita

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 Narita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narita is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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 $540 in Narita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 13% less than in Narita. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $828 in Narita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Narita gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Narita are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.