Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Setagaya-ku Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Setagaya-ku

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,175 in Setagaya-ku.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Phuket versus $1,805 in Setagaya-ku.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,833 in Phuket versus $2,434 in Setagaya-ku.

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Setagaya-ku, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 9% lower, Setagaya-ku 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿150

$6.27 ¥976

-27.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.62 ฿1,073

$25.53 ¥3,973

27.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ฿293

$4.47 ¥696

99.11%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ฿92.2

$2.89 ¥450

-3.11%

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

$0.88 ฿28.94

$1.07 ¥167

-17.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.60 ¥93.8

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ฿78.5

$2.24 ¥349

6.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿122

$3.07 ¥477

20.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ฿58.8

$1.24 ¥192

44.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿47.40

$1.71 ¥265

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ฿52.1

$3.57 ¥556

-55.74%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿69.9

$1.22 ¥190

74.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.92 ฿655

$11.57 ¥1,800

72.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ฿113

$5.85 ¥911

-41.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 ฿372

$14.22 ¥2,213

-20.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿97.0

$5.69 ¥885

-48.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.6

$2.79 ¥435

-38.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ฿76.5

$2.77 ¥431

-16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.4

$4.07 ¥634

-48.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.34

$2.62 ¥407

-43.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿44.65

$2.65 ¥412

-48.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.13

$1.26 ¥197

-12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ฿18.89

$0.54 ¥83.5

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿140

$3.70 ¥576

15.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ฿606

$6.28 ¥978

193.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ฿61.5

$1.71 ¥267

9.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿96.1

$2.01 ¥312

45.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿73.0

$1.46 ¥227

52.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.90 ฿753

$58.8 ¥9,152

-61.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿99.6

$2.61 ¥405

16.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.32

$2.55 ¥397

-58.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ฿129

$20.04 ¥3,119

-80.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.06

$1.06 ¥164

40.57%

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

$27.1K ฿892.0K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

25.48%

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

$27.5K ฿902.6K

$17.8K ¥2.8M

54.32%

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

$103 ฿3,380

$130 ¥20.3K

-21.04%

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

$10.99 ฿361

$24.06 ¥3,745

-54.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.51 ฿576

$31.88 ¥4,962

-45.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 ฿1,760

$50.4 ¥7,851

6.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿246

$11.79 ¥1,835

-36.56%

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

$557 ฿18.3K

$635 ¥98.8K

-12.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ฿389.7K

$14.5K ¥2.3M

-18.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 ฿2,107

$36.87 ¥5,739

73.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.07 ฿956

$32.69 ¥5,087

-11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,155

$60.4 ¥9,402

58.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,970

$62.1 ¥9,660

45.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 ฿24.0K

$459 ¥71.4K

59.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ฿16.4K

$320 ¥49.9K

56.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 ฿68.7K

$1,206 ¥187.8K

73.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 ฿39.8K

$693 ¥107.8K

74.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 ฿118.2K

$4,726 ¥735.6K

-23.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 ฿82.6K

$2,124 ¥330.6K

18.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.6K

$1,446 ¥225.1K

-65.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

178.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $730 in Phuket and $459 in Setagaya-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setagaya-ku pays 187% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Phuket vs $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $282, 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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setagaya-ku is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 187% lower in Setagaya-ku. 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: $730 in Phuket versus $459 in Setagaya-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $557 in Phuket versus $635 in Setagaya-ku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,175 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,253 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setagaya-ku but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Setagaya-ku the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.