Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
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Shiso Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shiso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,048 in Shiso.

Phuket $1,208
Shiso $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,913 in Shiso.

Phuket $2,027
Shiso $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,777 in Shiso.

Phuket $2,845
Shiso $2,777

Living in Phuket is roughly 15% more expensive than in Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Shiso 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.87 ¥1,244

-44.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-52.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.29 ¥993

39.27%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.69 ¥584

-23.31%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.83 ¥132

8.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.72 ¥114

-34.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.58 ¥407

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.15 ¥497

21.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.52 ¥240

13.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.00 ¥474

-51.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.87 ¥769

-68.99%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.19 ¥346

-0.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.19 ¥1,609

93.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.48 ¥1,023

-48.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$27.01 ¥4,267

-58.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$5.33 ¥842

-46.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.59 ¥409

-34.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.06 ¥641

-46.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$5.97 ¥943

-65.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$4.29 ¥678

-66.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.60 ¥411

-46.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.38 ¥218

-22.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.83 ¥130

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.11 ¥650

3.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.66 ¥1,211

142.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.92 ¥303

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.22 ¥351

28.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.36 ¥216

66.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$33.90 ¥5,356

-34.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.57 ¥564

-15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.88 ¥455

-63.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$20.87 ¥3,297

-81.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.28 ¥202

13.28%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$22.9K ¥3.6M

14.99%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.0K ¥2.7M

58.68%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$144 ¥22.8K

-33.25%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.93 ¥3,781

-53.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$13.58 ¥2,146

26.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$36.74 ¥5,805

42.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.71 ¥2,167

-18.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.59 ¥726

70.15%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$283 ¥44.8K

96.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

-14.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$10.06 ¥1,589

538.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.87 ¥4,720

-3.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$33.76 ¥5,334

182.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$99.7 ¥15.7K

-11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$470 ¥74.3K

56.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$165 ¥26.0K

180.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$862 ¥136.1K

143.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$659 ¥104.2K

82.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,229 ¥668.1K

-17.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

42.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.78

212.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 64.4% $298

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 37.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 46% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 37.2% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 25% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 32.2% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 45.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $470 in Shiso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $68.0 in Shiso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $368 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

36,610

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Shiso 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shiso

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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shiso is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,572 in Shiso 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: $737 in Phuket versus $470 in Shiso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $283 in Shiso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 37% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,048 in Shiso versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shiso but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shiso the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shiso 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 Shiso 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 Shiso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.