Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sagamihara Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sagamihara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,352 in Sagamihara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $2,119 in Sagamihara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,886 in Sagamihara.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 8% less than in Sagamihara, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Sagamihara is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$8.09 ¥1,314

-43.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.09 ¥5,539

35.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$6.27 ¥1,019

40.99%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.03 ¥492

0.99%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.15 ¥187

-36.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.72 ¥117

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$3.38 ¥549

-28.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.15 ¥511

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.68 ¥273

34.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.71 ¥278

5.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.06 ¥822

-55.53%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.53 ¥411

-11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$17.04 ¥2,769

14.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$7.73 ¥1,255

-52.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$15.51 ¥2,520

-15.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$9.20 ¥1,494

-64.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.87 ¥466

-43.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$4.94 ¥803

-51.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$9.65 ¥1,568

-78.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$3.83 ¥622

-60.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.63 ¥427

-42.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.31 ¥213

-25.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$1.38 ¥225

-62.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.37 ¥547

31.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$9.18 ¥1,491

99.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$2.88 ¥468

-35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.26 ¥367

18.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.67 ¥271

-15.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$55.9 ¥9,075

-79.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.43 ¥557

-9.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$2.96 ¥480

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$17.54 ¥2,850

-19.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.23 ¥199

6.50%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$23.0K ¥3.7M

21.00%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$17.0K ¥2.8M

95.24%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$138 ¥22.4K

-11.36%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.56 ¥4,478

-50.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$34.19 ¥5,555

-45.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$56.9 ¥9,239

6.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.98 ¥2,272

21.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$12.40 ¥2,015

-26.85%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$477 ¥77.5K

48.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$11.4K ¥1.9M

38.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$46.61 ¥7,574

25.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$31.46 ¥5,112

12.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$55.4 ¥8,992

108.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$90.1 ¥14.6K

-7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$466 ¥75.7K

34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$335 ¥54.5K

32.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$869 ¥141.2K

134.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$657 ¥106.7K

127.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$3,797 ¥616.9K

-8.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$1,876 ¥304.8K

37.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.78

199.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Sagamihara: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $466 in Sagamihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Sagamihara. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $408, 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 Sagamihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Phuket and $2,028 in Sagamihara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $626 in Phuket versus $466 in Sagamihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $477 in Sagamihara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Sagamihara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,352 in Sagamihara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sagamihara. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sagamihara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Sagamihara 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Sagamihara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.