Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sendai Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sendai

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,244 in Sendai.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,883 in Sendai.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,522 in Sendai.

Living in Phuket is roughly 1% more expensive than in Sendai, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sendai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$6.60 ¥1,073

-31.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.01 ¥5,525

35.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$4.71 ¥766

87.69%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$4.06 ¥659

-24.63%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.57 ¥255

-53.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.73 ¥119

-45.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$3.45 ¥561

-29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.57 ¥580

5.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.42 ¥230

59.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.18 ¥192

53.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.71 ¥603

-39.35%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$1.82 ¥296

23.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$10.12 ¥1,645

92.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$7.61 ¥1,236

-52.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$9.92 ¥1,613

31.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.47 ¥889

-40.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.26 ¥367

-28.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$5.10 ¥829

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$3.69 ¥599

-44.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$2.60 ¥423

-41.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.02 ¥328

-25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.15 ¥187

-14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.75 ¥122

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.90 ¥797

-9.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$6.80 ¥1,104

169.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$2.04 ¥332

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.82 ¥458

-4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.77 ¥287

-20.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$49.26 ¥8,004

-76.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$5.52 ¥898

-43.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$1.31 ¥212

-20.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$20.08 ¥3,262

-29.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.14 ¥186

14.91%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$21.0K ¥3.4M

32.59%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$28.2K ¥4.6M

17.84%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$177 ¥28.7K

-30.70%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$23.15 ¥3,762

-41.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$31.65 ¥5,142

-40.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$54.5 ¥8,854

10.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.84 ¥2,248

22.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$12.35 ¥2,006

-26.56%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$311 ¥50.6K

127.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$6,236 ¥1.0M

153.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$63.0 ¥10.2K

-7.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$39.19 ¥6,368

-9.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$49.89 ¥8,106

131.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$75.5 ¥12.3K

10.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$445 ¥72.3K

40.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$333 ¥54.1K

33.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$829 ¥134.7K

146.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$636 ¥103.4K

134.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$2,606 ¥423.5K

33.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$1,409 ¥229.0K

82.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$862 ¥140.1K

-42.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

77.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Sendai: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $445 in Sendai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sendai pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Sendai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $281 per month, with Sendai cheaper across the board.

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 Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sendai is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Sendai. 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: $626 in Phuket versus $445 in Sendai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $311 in Sendai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Sendai versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sendai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sendai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sendai 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 Sendai 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 Sendai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.