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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,177 in Suginami-ku.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,890 in Suginami-ku.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,602 in Suginami-ku.

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Suginami-ku, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Suginami-ku 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$6.98 ¥1,134

-34.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$35.14 ¥5,710

31.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.07 ¥824

74.36%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.19 ¥518

-4.08%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.13 ¥184

-35.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.77 ¥124

-48.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.02 ¥329

20.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$2.04 ¥331

85.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.57 ¥255

43.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.74 ¥283

4.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.97 ¥808

-54.73%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$1.58 ¥257

42.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$10.00 ¥1,624

95.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.41 ¥1,041

-43.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$15.32 ¥2,489

-14.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.89 ¥958

-45.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$3.13 ¥509

-48.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$4.08 ¥662

-41.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$4.60 ¥748

-55.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$3.33 ¥541

-54.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.73 ¥605

-59.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.39 ¥226

-29.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.86 ¥141

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.15 ¥674

6.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$9.44 ¥1,534

94.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.75 ¥284

6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.12 ¥344

26.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.61 ¥262

-12.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$54.5 ¥8,855

-78.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.49 ¥568

-10.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$3.01 ¥489

-65.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$22.25 ¥3,616

-36.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.25 ¥202

4.80%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$22.8K ¥3.7M

22.09%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$18.6K ¥3.0M

78.41%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$83.6 ¥13.6K

46.49%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.56 ¥4,478

-50.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$34.22 ¥5,560

-45.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$56.8 ¥9,229

6.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.94 ¥2,265

21.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$11.47 ¥1,864

-20.92%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$287 ¥46.6K

146.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$13.8K ¥2.2M

14.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$20.67 ¥3,359

183.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$29.29 ¥4,759

20.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$60.6 ¥9,852

90.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$97.9 ¥15.9K

-14.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$471 ¥76.6K

32.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$334 ¥54.3K

33.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$857 ¥139.2K

138.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$668 ¥108.6K

123.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$4,568 ¥742.1K

-23.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$2,023 ¥328.7K

27.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$2,703 ¥439.2K

-81.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

166.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Suginami-ku: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $471 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 441% 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 $35.00 in Suginami-ku. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $320, 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 Suginami-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suginami-ku is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 441% lower in Suginami-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: $626 in Phuket versus $471 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $287 in Suginami-ku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,177 in Suginami-ku versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suginami-ku but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Suginami-ku the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Suginami-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 Suginami-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 Suginami-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.