Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsu Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsu

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,211 in Tsu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,868 in Tsu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,526 in Tsu.

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than Tsu, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tsu 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$7.07 ¥1,131

-33.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$19.08 ¥3,052

137.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$4.15 ¥663

103.13%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.31 ¥530

-11.48%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$1.08 ¥172

-36.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.72 ¥115

-48.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.83 ¥452

-14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$4.41 ¥706

-15.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.57 ¥252

42.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.49 ¥239

22.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$4.71 ¥753

-53.93%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$2.42 ¥388

-8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$10.44 ¥1,670

89.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$6.22 ¥995

-41.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$19.12 ¥3,059

-29.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$3.60 ¥577

-8.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$2.12 ¥339

-24.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.60 ¥417

-7.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$4.54 ¥726

-54.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$1.65 ¥263

-7.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$1.30 ¥208

13.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$1.38 ¥220

-28.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.83 ¥133

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.97 ¥634

11.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$9.57 ¥1,531

102.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.13 ¥341

-16.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$3.02 ¥483

-10.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$1.59 ¥254

-13.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$54.5 ¥8,711

-79.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$4.46 ¥714

-32.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$3.31 ¥530

-70.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$23.36 ¥3,736

-39.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.19 ¥190

14.29%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$23.6K ¥3.8M

19.61%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.9K ¥2.7M

95.08%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$134 ¥21.5K

-9.41%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$26.99 ¥4,318

-49.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$29.90 ¥4,782

-38.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$55.3 ¥8,838

8.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$13.98 ¥2,236

22.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$12.67 ¥2,027

-31.41%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$70.3 ¥11.2K

887.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$10.3K ¥1.6M

52.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$44.83 ¥7,171

32.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$29.22 ¥4,674

18.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$68.5 ¥11.0K

67.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$94.2 ¥15.1K

-11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$474 ¥75.7K

29.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$336 ¥53.7K

30.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$866 ¥138.5K

141.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$669 ¥107.0K

125.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$4,402 ¥704.1K

-14.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$2,430 ¥388.6K

7.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.81

194.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Tsu: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $474 in Tsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $19.00 in Tsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $302, 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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsu is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,816 in Tsu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $613 in Phuket versus $474 in Tsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $70.3 in Tsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,211 in Tsu versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tsu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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