Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nishinomiya

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Nishinomiya: $1,208 and $1,257 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Nishinomiya
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Nishinomiya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Nishinomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nishinomiya

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,257 in Nishinomiya, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Nishinomiya $1,257

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,020 in Nishinomiya, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Nishinomiya $2,020

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,783 in Nishinomiya, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Nishinomiya $2,783

Phuket is about 4% cheaper than Nishinomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Nishinomiya are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Nishinomiya 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$8.71 ¥1,377

-49.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.81 ¥5,025

1.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.02 ¥794

74.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.26 ¥358

25.22%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.17 ¥185

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.63 ¥99.4

-25.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.09 ¥331

22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.23 ¥353

71.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.49 ¥236

16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.49 ¥236

-1.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$5.61 ¥886

-73.08%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.14 ¥338

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.69 ¥2,005

55.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.42 ¥1,489

-64.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$31.74 ¥5,015

-64.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.13 ¥810

-44.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.81 ¥286

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.04 ¥480

-27.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$6.01 ¥949

-65.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.62 ¥256

-10.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.53 ¥400

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.13 ¥179

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.94 ¥149

-45.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.41 ¥538

24.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.56 ¥1,511

94.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.35 ¥371

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.52 ¥240

87.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.50 ¥237

50.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$53.1 ¥8,392

-58.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.23 ¥510

-6.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.81 ¥444

-62.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$15.51 ¥2,450

-75.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.10 ¥174

31.82%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.8K ¥3.1M

33.07%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

79.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$117 ¥18.4K

-17.39%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.12 ¥3,653

-52.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$30.51 ¥4,819

-43.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$62.2 ¥9,820

-16.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.49 ¥1,816

-32.03%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$323 ¥51.0K

72.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,082 ¥960.9K

90.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.33 ¥7,793

30.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$25.09 ¥3,964

14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$46.56 ¥7,356

104.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$64.4 ¥10.2K

36.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$523 ¥82.6K

41.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$328 ¥51.9K

40.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,114 ¥175.9K

88.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$751 ¥118.6K

59.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,265 ¥673.9K

-18.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,735 ¥274.1K

45.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,977 ¥312.4K

-74.68%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Nishinomiya: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Nishinomiya

$328 26.1% 29% $134

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Nishinomiya

$380 30.2% 41.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Nishinomiya

$170 13.5% 36.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nishinomiya

$83 6.6% 32.9% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Nishinomiya

$134 10.7% 10.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Nishinomiya

$85 6.8% 25.6% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nishinomiya

$76 6.1% 93.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $523 in Nishinomiya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 295% higher in Nishinomiya, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $32.00 in Nishinomiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $380 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Nishinomiya

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

488,873

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Nishinomiya 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nishinomiya

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 Nishinomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nishinomiya is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,886 in Nishinomiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $32.00 in Nishinomiya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $1,257 in Nishinomiya. That's a gap of about 4%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Nishinomiya at $1,257. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nishinomiya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nishinomiya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.