Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tokushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,274 in Tokushima, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. The total is higher in Tokushima despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tokushima
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Tokushima Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Tokushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tokushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,274 in Tokushima.

Phuket $1,208
Tokushima $1,274

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,039 in Tokushima.

Phuket $2,027
Tokushima $2,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,804 in Tokushima.

Phuket $2,845
Tokushima $2,804

Living in Phuket costs roughly 5% less than in Tokushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tokushima 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.05 ¥1,115

-37.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.38 ¥4,958

2.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.08 ¥803

72.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.44 ¥386

15.98%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.29 ¥204

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.81 ¥128

-41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.13 ¥495

-18.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.09 ¥489

23.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.49 ¥235

16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.50 ¥237

-2.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.05 ¥641

-62.72%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.21 ¥349

-1.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$15.82 ¥2,499

24.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.99 ¥1,105

-52.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$17.41 ¥2,751

-35.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$8.19 ¥1,293

-65.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$3.02 ¥477

-43.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$5.08 ¥803

-56.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$6.12 ¥967

-66.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.72 ¥588

-61.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.79 ¥599

-63.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.14 ¥179

-6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.84 ¥132

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.96 ¥626

7.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.68 ¥1,530

91.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.50 ¥395

-28.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.07 ¥327

37.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.52 ¥240

48.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$53.7 ¥8,487

-58.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.21 ¥507

-6.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.90 ¥459

-63.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$31.93 ¥5,045

-87.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.10 ¥174

31.82%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

20.77%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

80.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$114 ¥18.1K

-15.66%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.74 ¥3,750

-53.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$31.53 ¥4,981

-45.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$60.5 ¥9,559

-13.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$24.82 ¥3,922

-55.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.34 ¥1,792

-31.13%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$578 ¥91.3K

-3.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-21.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.24 ¥7,779

30.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$35.51 ¥5,610

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$60.6 ¥9,579

57.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$98.6 ¥15.6K

-10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$522 ¥82.5K

41.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$334 ¥52.8K

38.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,083 ¥171.1K

93.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$731 ¥115.4K

64.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,217 ¥666.3K

-17.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,734 ¥274.0K

45.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,386 ¥219.0K

-63.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.02

175.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tokushima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Tokushima

$334 26.2% 27.8% $128

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Tokushima

$369 29% 37.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Tokushima

$170 13.3% 36.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tokushima

$110 8.6% 11.7% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Tokushima

$131 10.3% 8.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Tokushima

$83 6.5% 22.7% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Tokushima

$78 6.1% 96.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $522 in Tokushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokushima pays 177% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Tokushima. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $369, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Tokushima

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

252,391

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Phuket Tokushima 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Tokushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 177% lower in Tokushima. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $522 in Tokushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $578 in Tokushima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Tokushima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,274 in Tokushima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tokushima. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tokushima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tokushima 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Tokushima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.