Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Narita Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Narita

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $1,237 in Narita.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Phuket versus $1,921 in Narita.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,310 in Phuket versus $2,604 in Narita.

Living in Phuket is roughly 2% more expensive than Narita, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Narita 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿149

$5.43 ¥869

-16.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 ฿1,519

$41.86 ¥6,694

11.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 ฿276

$4.89 ¥783

73.21%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ฿98.6

$3.10 ¥495

-2.26%

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

$0.69 ฿22.45

$0.81 ¥129

-14.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.92

$0.76 ¥122

-51.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ฿81.0

$2.04 ¥326

22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿119

$3.07 ¥491

19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿71.0

$1.24 ¥198

75.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ฿62.0

$0.93 ¥149

104.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ฿71.6

$4.94 ¥791

-55.47%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿72.4

$2.18 ¥349

1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.99 ฿651

$10.24 ¥1,637

95.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿119

$6.20 ¥992

-40.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 ฿432

$15.20 ¥2,431

-12.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿105

$5.98 ¥956

-45.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿55.3

$3.21 ¥514

-47.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿78.0

$4.00 ¥640

-40.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿67.7

$6.01 ¥961

-65.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿51.8

$3.35 ¥536

-52.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.31

$4.29 ¥687

-65.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.54

$1.33 ¥212

-22.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿16.83

$0.83 ¥132

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿138

$3.30 ¥527

28.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿612

$9.34 ¥1,494

101.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿57.2

$1.76 ¥281

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿89.8

$2.02 ¥323

36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ฿44.32

$1.62 ¥258

-16.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿370

$56.1 ¥8,966

-79.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ฿102

$3.38 ¥541

-7.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿33.74

$1.61 ¥258

-35.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 ฿448

$21.98 ¥3,516

-37.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿43.79

$1.11 ¥178

20.72%

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

$27.7K ฿901.4K

$20.5K ¥3.3M

34.97%

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

$33.9K ฿1.1M

$18.5K ¥3.0M

83.18%

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

$124 ฿4,025

$145 ¥23.2K

-14.80%

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

$13.52 ฿440

$27.90 ¥4,462

-51.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 ฿609

$31.00 ¥4,958

-39.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.8 ฿2,013

$56.8 ¥9,082

8.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿562

$13.80 ¥2,207

25.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.14 ฿298

$12.59 ¥2,014

-27.40%

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

$703 ฿22.9K

$286 ¥45.8K

145.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ฿517.0K

$13.6K ¥2.2M

16.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,937

$41.20 ¥6,590

44.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 ฿1,142

$29.35 ¥4,695

19.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,754

$59.0 ¥9,431

95.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ฿2,737

$113 ¥18.1K

-25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.1K

$502 ¥80.3K

23.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 ฿14.1K

$341 ¥54.5K

27.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 ฿67.2K

$880 ¥140.7K

134.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 ฿49.2K

$670 ¥107.1K

125.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿118.7K

$4,028 ¥644.2K

-9.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,626 ฿85.5K

$2,454 ¥392.4K

7.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.5K

$1,264 ¥202.2K

-59.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

2.05

160.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Last update for Narita: June 9, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $502 in Narita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Narita pays 149% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Narita. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $318, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Narita earns 149% less. 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: $619 in Phuket versus $502 in Narita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Narita runs roughly 393% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $703 in Phuket versus $286 in Narita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,237 in Narita versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Narita but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Narita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Narita 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 Narita 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 Narita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.