Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsushima Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsushima Island: $1,232 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Tsushima Island
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Tsushima Island Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Tsushima Island

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tsushima Island

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,232 in Tsushima Island.

Phuket $1,294
Tsushima Island $1,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,930 in Tsushima Island.

Phuket $2,204
Tsushima Island $1,930

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,629 in Tsushima Island.

Phuket $3,115
Tsushima Island $2,629

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Tsushima Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Tsushima Island 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.98 ¥1,106

-37.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$35.22 ¥5,579

-8.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$5.63 ¥893

54.53%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.10 ¥491

-12.26%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.14 ¥181

-18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.82 ¥129

-39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.06 ¥327

22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.10 ¥491

17.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.52 ¥241

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.67 ¥264

-13.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.69 ¥743

-68.02%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.26 ¥358

-3.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$10.19 ¥1,615

87.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.17 ¥977

-44.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$15.46 ¥2,449

-29.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$5.42 ¥858

-45.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.62 ¥416

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$3.95 ¥626

-44.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.49 ¥711

-52.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$3.35 ¥531

-56.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.55 ¥403

-46.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.32 ¥209

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.87 ¥139

-36.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.08 ¥646

8.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.48 ¥1,027

181.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.94 ¥307

-8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.36 ¥374

22.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.60 ¥254

-9.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$55.6 ¥8,813

-1.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.54 ¥561

-57.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.99 ¥474

-73.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$20.96 ¥3,320

-81.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.19 ¥188

25.21%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$23.6K ¥3.7M

13.81%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$17.2K ¥2.7M

53.03%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$138 ¥21.9K

-29.19%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$27.47 ¥4,351

-58.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$33.39 ¥5,289

-48.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$58.3 ¥9,231

17.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$13.99 ¥2,216

-21.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$13.37 ¥2,118

-44.43%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$284 ¥45.1K

86.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

40.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$43.63 ¥6,912

41.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$29.76 ¥4,715

-5.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$59.3 ¥9,388

61.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$90.5 ¥14.3K

-4.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$473 ¥74.9K

52.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$326 ¥51.6K

56.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$873 ¥138.3K

123.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$666 ¥105.5K

109.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,785 ¥441.2K

50.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,744 ¥276.3K

89.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.81

207.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Tsushima Island

$326 26.5% 36% $183

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Tsushima Island

$307 24.9% 15% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Tsushima Island

$199 16.2% 57.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Tsushima Island

$100 8.2% 18.2% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Tsushima Island

$134 10.9% 12.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Tsushima Island

$85 6.9% 2.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Tsushima Island

$81 6.5% 21.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $473 in Tsushima Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Tsushima Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $307 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Tsushima Island

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Tsushima Island 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsushima Island is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,848 in Tsushima Island 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: $721 in Phuket versus $473 in Tsushima Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $284 in Tsushima Island. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Tsushima Island. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tsushima Island 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 Tsushima Island are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.