Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shizuoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Shizuoka: $1,139 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shizuoka
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Shizuoka Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Shizuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shizuoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,139 in Shizuoka.

Phuket $1,294
Shizuoka $1,139

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,788 in Shizuoka.

Phuket $2,204
Shizuoka $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,437 in Shizuoka.

Phuket $3,115
Shizuoka $2,437

Living in Phuket is roughly 14% more expensive than in Shizuoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Shizuoka 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.31 ¥999

-30.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$32.15 ¥5,092

0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$5.00 ¥792

74.00%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.96 ¥469

-8.11%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.99 ¥157

-6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.72 ¥114

-30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.75 ¥436

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.71 ¥588

-2.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.44 ¥228

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.25 ¥197

16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.40 ¥697

-65.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.77 ¥281

22.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$6.81 ¥1,079

180.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.26 ¥833

-35.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$14.22 ¥2,252

-23.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$3.46 ¥549

-15.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.92 ¥304

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$3.46 ¥548

-36.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$3.12 ¥495

-32.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.52 ¥240

-3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.14 ¥181

20.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.12 ¥178

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.81 ¥129

-32.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.73 ¥591

18.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$8.64 ¥1,369

111.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.44 ¥228

22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.09 ¥489

-6.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.82 ¥288

-20.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$56.8 ¥9,000

-3.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.44 ¥545

-56.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.92 ¥304

-59.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$19.32 ¥3,060

-80.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.05 ¥166

41.90%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$22.6K ¥3.6M

18.78%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

76.79%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$139 ¥22.1K

-29.81%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$15.66 ¥2,480

-27.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$31.13 ¥4,931

-44.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$52.0 ¥8,240

31.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$10.71 ¥1,697

1.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$12.00 ¥1,901

-38.08%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$318 ¥50.3K

66.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

42.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$18.47 ¥2,925

233.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$21.64 ¥3,428

30.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$61.9 ¥9,797

55.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$91.4 ¥14.5K

-5.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$336 ¥53.3K

114.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$333 ¥52.7K

52.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,001 ¥158.6K

94.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$725 ¥114.9K

92.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$4,357 ¥690.1K

-3.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$2,349 ¥372.1K

40.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$2,197 ¥348.0K

-77.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

457.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shizuoka: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Shizuoka

$333 29.2% 34.6% $176

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Shizuoka

$251 22% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Shizuoka

$186 16.3% 47.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Shizuoka

$87 7.6% 29.1% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Shizuoka

$129 11.3% 7.9% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Shizuoka

$76 6.7% 8.6% $7.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Shizuoka

$77 6.8% 16.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $336 in Shizuoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shizuoka pays about 4.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Shizuoka. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $251, with Shizuoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Shizuoka

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

701,803

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Shizuoka 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shizuoka

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 Shizuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shizuoka is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and leisure. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $336 in Shizuoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $318 in Shizuoka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 3% less than in Shizuoka. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Shizuoka gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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