Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Niigata

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $728 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
Learn more

Niigata Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Niigata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $728 in Niigata.

Phuket $1,278
Niigata $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,106 in Niigata.

Phuket $2,216
Niigata $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,485 in Niigata.

Phuket $3,154
Niigata $1,485

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than in Niigata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Niigata 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.43 ¥1,013

-30.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$17.74 ¥2,795

82.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.02 ¥791

75.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.68 ¥422

5.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.10 ¥174

-20.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.78 ¥123

-37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.53 ¥398

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.77 ¥437

32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.22 ¥192

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.97 ¥152

50.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.49 ¥392

-39.76%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.26 ¥356

-7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.41 ¥1,167

157.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.74 ¥1,062

-51.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.47 ¥2,595

-33.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.21 ¥506

-8.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.31 ¥206

29.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.55 ¥402

-11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.23 ¥352

-6.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.94 ¥306

-22.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.93 ¥304

-28.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.92 ¥146

16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.60 ¥94.4

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.84 ¥606

9.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.31 ¥679

335.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.68 ¥264

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.86 ¥293

52.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.31 ¥207

10.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.63 ¥415

14.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.23 ¥509

-68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.80 ¥2,962

-80.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.05 ¥165

40.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$19.3K ¥3.0M

38.56%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

107.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$147 ¥23.1K

-34.23%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.08 ¥3,635

-51.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$25.23 ¥3,975

-33.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$51.4 ¥8,094

30.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.27 ¥988

71.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.30 ¥1,937

-39.02%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$64.7 ¥10.2K

635.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$18.3K ¥2.9M

-38.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$31.68 ¥4,991

96.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$33.10 ¥5,214

-14.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$38.84 ¥6,118

142.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$64.7 ¥10.2K

32.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$351 ¥55.2K

104.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,272 ¥200.4K

-60.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.48

276.35%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Niigata: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Niigata

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Niigata

$233 32% 12.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Niigata

$195 26.8% 56.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Niigata

$76 10.4% 37.8% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Niigata

$124 17.1% 2.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Niigata

$76 10.4% 7.6% $6.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Niigata

$24 * 3.3% 65.9% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $351 in Niigata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Niigata 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 $18 in Niigata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $233 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Niigata

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

811,639

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Niigata 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Niigata

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 Niigata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $728 in Niigata, so Niigata is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% 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 $351 in Niigata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Phuket. 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 $728 in Niigata – Niigata is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $728 in Niigata versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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