Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
Learn more

Saitama Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saitama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,007 in Saitama.

Phuket $1,208
Saitama $1,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,330 in Saitama.

Phuket $2,027
Saitama $1,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,653 in Saitama.

Phuket $2,845
Saitama $1,653

Living in Phuket is roughly 20% more expensive than in Saitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Saitama 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$5.55 ¥876

-20.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.14 ¥4,920

3.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.86 ¥768

80.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.07 ¥486

-7.82%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.72 ¥114

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.65 ¥103

-27.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.46 ¥389

3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.18 ¥503

20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.45 ¥229

19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.64 ¥260

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.68 ¥423

-43.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.00 ¥316

8.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.14 ¥1,601

94.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.45 ¥861

-38.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.44 ¥2,281

-22.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.58 ¥882

-48.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.25 ¥355

-24.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.84 ¥449

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.19 ¥662

-51.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.61 ¥412

-44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.56 ¥247

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.25 ¥197

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.80 ¥126

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.70 ¥585

15.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.32 ¥999

193.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.74 ¥274

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.11 ¥333

35.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.45 ¥545

-34.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.11 ¥492

-3.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.70 ¥427

-60.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$20.19 ¥3,190

-80.88%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

20.13%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$14.4K ¥2.3M

87.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$131 ¥20.7K

-26.45%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$17.62 ¥2,784

-37.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$31.87 ¥5,036

-46.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$61.5 ¥9,721

-15.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.12 ¥1,757

-29.77%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$620 ¥97.9K

-10.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-21.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$34.90 ¥5,514

83.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$25.61 ¥4,047

12.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$55.5 ¥8,772

71.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$61.9 ¥9,773

42.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$414 ¥65.3K

78.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$237 ¥37.4K

95.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,505 ¥237.7K

-66.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.06

170.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Saitama

$237 23.5% 48.8% $226

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Saitama

$275 27.4% 2.5% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Saitama

$181 17.9% 44.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Saitama

$80 8% 35.6% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Saitama

$120 11.9% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Saitama

$84 8.3% 23.6% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Saitama

$30 * 3% 22.9% $9

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 $737 in Phuket and $414 in Saitama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saitama pays 200% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Saitama. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $275, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Saitama

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,182,115

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Saitama 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saitama

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 Saitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saitama is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 200% lower in Saitama. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $414 in Saitama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $620 in Saitama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saitama – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saitama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Saitama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Saitama 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 Saitama 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 Saitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.