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: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,243 in Tsushima Island.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,932 in Tsushima Island.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,621 in Tsushima Island.

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tsushima Island 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$6.83 ¥1,092

-31.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$34.63 ¥5,539

31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.61 ¥897

50.27%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.09 ¥494

-5.18%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$1.13 ¥181

-38.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.79 ¥127

-53.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.09 ¥335

15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$3.16 ¥505

17.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.58 ¥253

41.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.60 ¥257

14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$4.89 ¥781

-55.62%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$2.23 ¥357

-0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$10.24 ¥1,638

92.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$6.14 ¥981

-40.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$15.42 ¥2,466

-12.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$5.43 ¥868

-39.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$2.68 ¥429

-39.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$4.00 ¥640

-39.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$4.56 ¥729

-54.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$3.25 ¥519

-52.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$2.66 ¥425

-44.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$1.40 ¥223

-29.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.87 ¥139

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.11 ¥658

7.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$6.52 ¥1,042

197.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.97 ¥315

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$2.27 ¥364

19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$1.60 ¥255

-14.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$54.5 ¥8,723

-79.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$3.39 ¥542

-10.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$2.96 ¥474

-66.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$20.49 ¥3,277

-31.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.23 ¥197

10.57%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$22.9K ¥3.7M

23.00%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$17.0K ¥2.7M

93.79%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$141 ¥22.6K

-13.83%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$27.21 ¥4,352

-50.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$33.73 ¥5,394

-45.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$57.3 ¥9,164

5.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$13.76 ¥2,201

24.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$13.09 ¥2,094

-33.61%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$283 ¥45.3K

144.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

17.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$44.05 ¥7,046

35.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$29.77 ¥4,762

16.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$59.3 ¥9,478

93.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$91.6 ¥14.7K

-9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$467 ¥74.7K

31.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$332 ¥53.2K

31.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$873 ¥139.6K

139.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$663 ¥106.1K

127.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$2,828 ¥452.3K

32.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$1,857 ¥297.1K

40.84%

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 Tsushima Island: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $467 in Tsushima Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Tsushima Island. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $309, 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 $1,898 in Phuket and $1,865 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: $613 in Phuket versus $467 in Tsushima Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $283 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 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,243 in Tsushima Island versus $1,265 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.