Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsukuba Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsukuba

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,155 in Tsukuba.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,866 in Tsukuba.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,577 in Tsukuba.

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Tsukuba, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tsukuba 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$4.12 ¥669

10.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$36.67 ¥5,958

25.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.71 ¥928

54.82%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$2.82 ¥457

8.51%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.89 ¥145

-17.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.75 ¥121

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$1.92 ¥312

26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.10 ¥503

21.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.57 ¥255

43.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.74 ¥283

4.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.48 ¥402

-9.27%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.22 ¥360

1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$8.07 ¥1,312

141.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.10 ¥992

-40.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$11.17 ¥1,814

16.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.85 ¥950

-44.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$3.09 ¥503

-47.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$3.96 ¥643

-39.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$2.10 ¥341

-3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$3.23 ¥524

-52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.42 ¥556

-56.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.07 ¥174

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.83 ¥136

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.89 ¥633

14.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$8.99 ¥1,460

103.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.81 ¥293

2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.13 ¥346

25.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$2.49 ¥405

-43.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$54.5 ¥8,851

-78.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.38 ¥550

-7.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$2.96 ¥481

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$22.57 ¥3,668

-37.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.22 ¥199

7.38%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$22.0K ¥3.6M

26.62%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$15.1K ¥2.5M

119.56%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$143 ¥23.2K

-14.29%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.48 ¥4,464

-50.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$34.06 ¥5,534

-45.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$59.5 ¥9,670

1.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$14.00 ¥2,275

21.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$13.76 ¥2,236

-34.08%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$141 ¥22.9K

400.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$12.1K ¥2.0M

30.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$40.95 ¥6,654

42.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$29.33 ¥4,765

20.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$41.63 ¥6,764

177.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$96.3 ¥15.6K

-13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$518 ¥84.1K

20.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$316 ¥51.4K

40.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$1,186 ¥192.8K

71.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$692 ¥112.4K

115.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$3,959 ¥643.2K

-12.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$2,109 ¥342.7K

22.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$1,395 ¥226.6K

-64.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

166.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Tsukuba: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $518 in Tsukuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tsukuba pays 179% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $37.00 in Tsukuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $276 per month, with Tsukuba cheaper across the board.

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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsukuba is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 179% lower in Tsukuba. 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: $626 in Phuket versus $518 in Tsukuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $141 in Tsukuba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,155 in Tsukuba versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tsukuba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tsukuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tsukuba 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 Tsukuba 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 Tsukuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.