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: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,196 in Suginami-ku.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,894 in Suginami-ku.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,592 in Suginami-ku.

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Suginami-ku 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$7.00 ¥1,120

-32.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$34.21 ¥5,473

32.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.06 ¥810

66.60%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.16 ¥506

-7.28%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$1.14 ¥182

-39.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.74 ¥119

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.04 ¥326

18.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.09 ¥335

77.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.51 ¥242

47.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.76 ¥281

3.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$4.84 ¥774

-55.17%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$1.52 ¥243

45.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$10.18 ¥1,628

93.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$6.27 ¥1,004

-42.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$15.64 ¥2,502

-13.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$5.95 ¥952

-44.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$3.08 ¥493

-47.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$4.10 ¥655

-41.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$4.64 ¥742

-55.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$3.33 ¥533

-54.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$3.57 ¥570

-58.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$1.34 ¥215

-26.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.87 ¥139

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.25 ¥680

3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$9.29 ¥1,486

108.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.84 ¥294

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$2.06 ¥330

31.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$1.59 ¥254

-13.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$55.1 ¥8,808

-79.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$3.57 ¥570

-15.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$3.02 ¥484

-67.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$21.93 ¥3,507

-35.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.17 ¥188

16.24%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$22.9K ¥3.7M

22.95%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$18.3K ¥2.9M

80.00%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$82.5 ¥13.2K

47.48%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$27.76 ¥4,440

-51.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$33.70 ¥5,391

-45.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$56.2 ¥8,994

7.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$14.00 ¥2,240

22.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$11.32 ¥1,811

-23.23%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$287 ¥45.9K

141.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$14.0K ¥2.2M

12.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$20.99 ¥3,357

183.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$29.03 ¥4,643

19.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$60.9 ¥9,737

88.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$98.4 ¥15.7K

-15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$463 ¥74.1K

32.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$323 ¥51.7K

35.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$879 ¥140.6K

138.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$660 ¥105.5K

128.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$4,161 ¥665.5K

-9.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$2,507 ¥401.0K

4.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$2,769 ¥442.9K

-81.65%

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: June 2, 2026

Last update for Suginami-ku: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $463 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 445% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Suginami-ku. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 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, Suginami-ku earns 445% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $463 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 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 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,196 in Suginami-ku versus $1,265 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.