Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sapporo

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,422 in Sapporo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Sapporo
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Sapporo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sapporo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sapporo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,422 in Sapporo.

Phuket $1,278
Sapporo $1,422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,123 in Sapporo.

Phuket $2,216
Sapporo $2,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,823 in Sapporo.

Phuket $3,154
Sapporo $2,823

Living in Phuket costs roughly 10% less than in Sapporo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Sapporo is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.33 ¥997

-29.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$28.34 ¥4,469

14.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.51 ¥869

59.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.92 ¥776

-42.48%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.74 ¥274

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.88 ¥138

-44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.37 ¥689

-41.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.70 ¥898

-35.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.54 ¥243

7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.36 ¥214

7.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.97 ¥626

-62.22%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.78 ¥281

17.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.44 ¥1,488

102.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.77 ¥1,068

-51.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$25.65 ¥4,044

-57.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.25 ¥512

-9.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.03 ¥477

-44.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.15 ¥497

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.35 ¥686

-52.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.14 ¥338

-29.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.66 ¥262

-16.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.50 ¥236

-28.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.49 ¥77.2

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.96 ¥625

6.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.19 ¥1,292

129.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.86 ¥293

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.24 ¥511

-12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.56 ¥246

-7.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$48.41 ¥7,633

17.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.12 ¥650

-26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.63 ¥257

-37.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.09 ¥2,538

-77.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.11 ¥175

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

22.11%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$14.4K ¥2.3M

85.44%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$344 ¥54.2K

-71.95%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.82 ¥4,071

-56.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$47.90 ¥7,553

-64.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$50.4 ¥7,954

33.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.20 ¥504

235.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.08 ¥1,904

-37.91%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$312 ¥49.2K

52.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.1K ¥1.6M

11.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$38.49 ¥6,069

62.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$25.24 ¥3,979

12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$48.43 ¥7,636

94.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$119 ¥18.7K

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$463 ¥73.0K

54.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$276 ¥43.5K

77.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$831 ¥131.1K

131.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$644 ¥101.5K

122.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,259 ¥356.2K

84.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,608 ¥253.5K

89.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,281 ¥359.6K

-77.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.57

116.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sapporo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sapporo

$276 19.4% 43.8% $215

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sapporo

$314 22.1% 17.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sapporo

$417 29.3% 235% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sapporo

$104 7.3% 14.8% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sapporo

$170 11.9% 39.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sapporo

$75 5.3% 9.3% $7.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sapporo

$67 4.7% 5.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $463 in Sapporo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sapporo pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $28 in Sapporo. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $314, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Sapporo

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,973,395

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Sapporo 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sapporo

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 Sapporo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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 $463 in Sapporo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $312 in Sapporo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Sapporo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Sapporo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.