Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tokushima Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tokushima

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,238 in Tokushima.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Phuket versus $2,016 in Tokushima.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,833 in Phuket versus $2,793 in Tokushima.

Living in Phuket is roughly 1% more expensive than in Tokushima, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 9% lower, Tokushima 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿150

$6.83 ¥1,067

-33.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.62 ฿1,072

$30.72 ¥4,800

6.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ฿293

$4.93 ¥770

80.53%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ฿92.2

$2.46 ¥385

13.82%

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

$0.88 ฿28.93

$1.29 ¥202

-31.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.80 ¥126

-38.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ฿78.5

$3.05 ¥476

-21.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿122

$3.14 ¥491

18.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ฿58.7

$1.51 ¥236

18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿47.38

$1.47 ¥230

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ฿52.1

$4.18 ¥653

-62.20%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿69.9

$2.12 ¥331

0.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.92 ฿655

$15.73 ¥2,458

26.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ฿113

$7.09 ¥1,107

-51.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 ฿372

$16.73 ¥2,614

-32.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿96.9

$8.13 ¥1,270

-63.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.6

$3.01 ¥470

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ฿76.4

$4.82 ¥753

-51.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.4

$6.30 ¥984

-66.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.33

$3.70 ¥579

-60.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿44.64

$3.82 ¥596

-64.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.12

$1.12 ¥175

-1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ฿18.89

$0.84 ¥131

-32.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿140

$3.81 ¥595

12.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ฿605

$9.60 ¥1,500

91.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ฿61.5

$2.58 ¥404

-27.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿96.0

$2.09 ¥326

39.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿72.9

$1.50 ¥234

48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.90 ฿753

$55.3 ¥8,641

-58.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿99.6

$3.08 ¥481

-1.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.31

$2.76 ¥431

-61.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ฿129

$31.60 ¥4,937

-87.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.04

$1.05 ¥165

41.90%

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

$27.1K ฿891.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

25.36%

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

$27.5K ฿902.3K

$14.9K ¥2.3M

84.23%

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

$103 ฿3,379

$114 ¥17.9K

-10.16%

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

$10.99 ฿361

$22.70 ¥3,546

-51.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.51 ฿576

$30.80 ¥4,811

-43.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 ฿1,760

$58.7 ¥9,172

-8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

$25.52 ¥3,987

-56.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿246

$11.18 ¥1,747

-33.09%

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

$557 ฿18.3K

$567 ¥88.5K

-1.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ฿389.6K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-19.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 ฿2,106

$49.54 ¥7,739

29.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.07 ฿956

$35.52 ¥5,550

-18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,154

$59.3 ¥9,268

61.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,970

$96.7 ¥15.1K

-6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 ฿24.0K

$466 ¥72.9K

56.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ฿16.4K

$326 ¥50.9K

53.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 ฿68.7K

$1,062 ¥166.0K

96.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 ฿39.7K

$718 ¥112.2K

68.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 ฿118.2K

$4,277 ¥668.1K

-15.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 ฿82.6K

$1,909 ¥298.2K

31.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.5K

$1,420 ¥221.9K

-64.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.66

235.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Last update for Tokushima: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $730 in Phuket and $466 in Tokushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokushima pays 182% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Tokushima. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $367, 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 Tokushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokushima is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 182% 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: $730 in Phuket versus $466 in Tokushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $557 in Phuket versus $567 in Tokushima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 34% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,238 in Tokushima versus $1,253 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tokushima but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tokushima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tokushima 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 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 Tokushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.