Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tokyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,688 in Tokyo.

Phuket $1,278
Tokyo $1,688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,588 in Tokyo.

Phuket $2,216
Tokyo $2,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,489 in Tokyo.

Phuket $3,154
Tokyo $3,489

Living in Phuket costs roughly 24% less than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Tokyo is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.72 ¥1,217

-42.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$37.51 ¥5,909

-13.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.01 ¥788

75.85%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.68 ¥579

-23.10%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.51 ¥238

-42.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.85 ¥133

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.77 ¥594

-32.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.75 ¥906

-36.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.49 ¥235

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.73 ¥273

-15.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.80 ¥913

-74.14%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.25 ¥354

-7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.50 ¥1,811

65.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.96 ¥1,096

-52.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.39 ¥2,582

-33.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.73 ¥745

-38.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.28 ¥359

-25.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.26 ¥671

-47.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.37 ¥845

-61.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.29 ¥519

-54.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$3.00 ¥473

-54.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.15 ¥181

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.80 ¥126

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.89 ¥613

7.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.72 ¥1,531

93.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.70 ¥268

7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.66 ¥419

6.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.25 ¥197

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$62.4 ¥9,835

-9.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.15 ¥495

-4.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.14 ¥494

-67.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.98 ¥2,989

-80.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.11 ¥175

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$22.5K ¥3.5M

19.01%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

74.03%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$147 ¥23.1K

-34.41%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.17 ¥3,650

-51.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$30.10 ¥4,741

-44.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$57.4 ¥9,048

17.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$26.48 ¥4,171

-59.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.39 ¥2,109

-43.99%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,410 ¥222.1K

-66.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

-39.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$55.3 ¥8,715

12.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$32.43 ¥5,108

-12.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$64.4 ¥10.1K

46.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$72.1 ¥11.4K

19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,329 ¥209.4K

-46.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$729 ¥114.8K

-32.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,622 ¥413.1K

-26.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,401 ¥220.7K

2.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$10.7K ¥1.7M

-61.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$5,054 ¥796.1K

-39.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,019 ¥475.5K

-83.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.25

147.56%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tokyo

$729 43.2% 48.4% $238

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tokyo

$327 19.4% 23% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tokyo

$200 11.9% 60.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tokyo

$101 6% 17.2% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tokyo

$161 9.5% 32.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tokyo

$84 5% 2.4% $2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tokyo

$86 5.1% 22.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,329 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $38 in Tokyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $327 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tokyo 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tokyo

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 Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,329 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,410 in Tokyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,688 in Tokyo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. 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 Tokyo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tokyo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.