Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Setagaya-ku: $1,207 and $1,183 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,183 in Setagaya-ku.

Phuket $1,207
Setagaya-ku $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,834 in Setagaya-ku.

Phuket $2,037
Setagaya-ku $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,484 in Setagaya-ku.

Phuket $2,867
Setagaya-ku $2,484

Living in Phuket is roughly 2% more expensive than in Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Setagaya-ku 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$6.12 ¥968

-25.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$25.64 ¥4,050

26.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.36 ¥690

96.10%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.97 ¥470

-8.42%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.04 ¥165

-9.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.65 ¥102

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.19 ¥346

18.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.22 ¥508

18.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.23 ¥194

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.72 ¥272

-16.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.64 ¥575

-57.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.17 ¥186

85.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.40 ¥1,643

84.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.11 ¥965

-45.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$14.25 ¥2,252

-21.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.59 ¥883

-47.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.74 ¥433

-38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.95 ¥466

-22.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$4.14 ¥654

-48.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.62 ¥415

-41.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.63 ¥416

-48.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.24 ¥196

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.56 ¥87.7

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.79 ¥599

12.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.26 ¥989

190.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.81 ¥287

-3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.09 ¥330

33.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.46 ¥231

52.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$50.7 ¥8,012

-56.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.23 ¥510

-9.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.66 ¥421

-62.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$20.85 ¥3,294

-81.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.10 ¥174

35.45%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$21.2K ¥3.4M

25.69%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

43.93%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$131 ¥20.6K

-23.94%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$23.82 ¥3,764

-52.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$31.73 ¥5,013

-45.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$55.0 ¥8,691

-4.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$11.52 ¥1,820

-34.29%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$636 ¥100.5K

-12.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

-21.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$62.3 ¥9,846

0.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$36.37 ¥5,747

-21.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$62.1 ¥9,814

54.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$102 ¥16.2K

-13.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$534 ¥84.4K

36.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$325 ¥51.4K

41.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,152 ¥182.0K

81.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$674 ¥106.4K

81.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,724 ¥588.4K

-7.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,635 ¥258.4K

52.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5% 29.3% $135

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7% 4.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7% 45.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Setagaya-ku

$118 10% 4.6% $5.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2% 88% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $534 in Setagaya-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $281, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

03:28 3:28 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

943,664

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Phuket Setagaya-ku 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setagaya-ku is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,775 in Setagaya-ku 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: $729 in Phuket versus $534 in Setagaya-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $636 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 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,207 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 2% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.