Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsu

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Tsu: $1,278 and $1,287 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
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Tsu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,287 in Tsu.

Phuket $1,278
Tsu $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,999 in Tsu.

Phuket $2,216
Tsu $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,710 in Tsu.

Phuket $3,154
Tsu $2,710

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Tsu; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tsu 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.22 ¥982

-28.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$17.49 ¥2,763

85.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.91 ¥617

125.32%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.34 ¥369

20.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.14 ¥181

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.58 ¥90.9

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.10 ¥331

21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.35 ¥372

56.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.58 ¥249

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.28 ¥203

14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.63 ¥889

-73.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.02 ¥319

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.56 ¥1,984

51.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.77 ¥1,543

-66.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$32.52 ¥5,135

-66.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.68 ¥581

-20.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.29 ¥362

-26.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$6.41 ¥1,012

-64.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.17 ¥659

-50.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.84 ¥607

-60.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$3.47 ¥548

-60.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.30 ¥205

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.03 ¥163

-49.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.53 ¥558

18.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.37 ¥1,322

124.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.04 ¥323

-10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.47 ¥233

93.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$1.48 ¥234

-2.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$56.5 ¥8,926

0.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.23 ¥509

-6.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$3.22 ¥509

-68.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$26.97 ¥4,259

-86.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.04 ¥164

41.35%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$19.0K ¥3.0M

40.99%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$16.7K ¥2.6M

59.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$145 ¥22.8K

-33.38%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.21 ¥3,824

-53.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$43.47 ¥6,866

-61.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$51.3 ¥8,107

30.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.93 ¥2,042

-17.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.34 ¥1,317

-10.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$322 ¥50.8K

47.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$6,217 ¥981.8K

81.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$49.15 ¥7,762

26.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$25.83 ¥4,079

9.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$46.87 ¥7,403

101.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$65.4 ¥10.3K

31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$544 ¥85.9K

31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$342 ¥53.9K

43.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,021 ¥161.2K

88.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$738 ¥116.6K

93.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$4,287 ¥677.0K

-2.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,268 ¥358.3K

34.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,511 ¥238.6K

-66.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.9

193.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tsu

$342 26.5% 30.4% $149

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tsu

$388 30.1% 45.7% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tsu

$212 16.5% 70.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tsu

$84 6.5% 30.9% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tsu

$112 8.7% 8.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tsu

$68 5.3% 17.3% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tsu

$82 6.4% 15.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $544 in Tsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tsu pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in Tsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $388, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Tsu

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

279,241

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tsu 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $544 in Tsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tsu – a meal for two runs $17 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $322 in Tsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Tsu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.