Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsushima Island Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tsushima Island

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,224 in Tsushima Island.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,906 in Tsushima Island.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,589 in Tsushima Island.

Living in Phuket is roughly 2% more expensive than in Tsushima Island, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tsushima Island 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$6.75 ¥1,097

-32.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.63 ¥5,627

33.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.50 ¥894

60.73%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.10 ¥504

-1.29%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.09 ¥177

-33.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.81 ¥132

-50.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.09 ¥340

16.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.19 ¥518

18.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.58 ¥257

43.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.64 ¥266

10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.82 ¥782

-53.32%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.19 ¥356

2.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$9.91 ¥1,610

96.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.22 ¥1,010

-41.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$15.44 ¥2,509

-15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.29 ¥860

-38.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.65 ¥431

-38.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$4.10 ¥665

-41.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$4.64 ¥754

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$3.33 ¥541

-54.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.58 ¥420

-41.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.38 ¥225

-28.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.88 ¥144

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.13 ¥672

7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$6.65 ¥1,081

175.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.92 ¥312

-3.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.34 ¥381

14.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.66 ¥269

-15.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$55.3 ¥8,983

-78.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.41 ¥555

-8.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$3.02 ¥491

-65.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$21.15 ¥3,437

-33.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.25 ¥202

4.80%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$23.2K ¥3.8M

19.70%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$17.4K ¥2.8M

91.39%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$140 ¥22.7K

-12.53%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.46 ¥4,462

-50.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$34.02 ¥5,527

-45.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$58.2 ¥9,459

3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.81 ¥2,243

22.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$12.96 ¥2,105

-30.02%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$279 ¥45.4K

152.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

19.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$43.55 ¥7,076

34.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$29.44 ¥4,783

20.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$59.5 ¥9,668

94.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$91.7 ¥14.9K

-8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$461 ¥74.8K

35.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$328 ¥53.2K

35.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$865 ¥140.6K

135.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$647 ¥105.1K

130.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$2,863 ¥465.2K

21.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$2,102 ¥341.6K

22.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $461 in Tsushima Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Tsushima Island. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $308, 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 Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsushima Island is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Phuket and $1,836 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: $626 in Phuket versus $461 in Tsushima Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $279 in Tsushima Island. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,224 in Tsushima Island versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tsushima Island but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tsushima Island the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tsushima Island 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 Tsushima Island 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 Tsushima Island gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.