Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Utsunomiya

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Utsunomiya: $1,278 and $1,316 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
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Utsunomiya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Utsunomiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,316 in Utsunomiya.

Phuket $1,278
Utsunomiya $1,316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,971 in Utsunomiya.

Phuket $2,216
Utsunomiya $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,625 in Utsunomiya.

Phuket $3,154
Utsunomiya $2,625

Living in Phuket costs roughly 3% less than in Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Utsunomiya 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.07 ¥958

-26.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.88 ¥2,666

92.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.86 ¥768

81.28%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.52 ¥556

-19.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.07 ¥169

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.84 ¥133

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.11 ¥490

-17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.86 ¥293

97.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.45 ¥229

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.67 ¥264

-12.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.63 ¥888

-73.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.25 ¥356

-7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.56 ¥1,825

64.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.80 ¥1,074

-51.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.74 ¥2,644

-34.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.85 ¥766

-39.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.27 ¥358

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.25 ¥672

-47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.27 ¥832

-60.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.40 ¥536

-55.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.01 ¥476

-54.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.18 ¥187

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.79 ¥124

-34.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.96 ¥626

6.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.70 ¥1,531

93.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.68 ¥265

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.75 ¥434

3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.25 ¥198

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$64.4 ¥10.2K

-12.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.08 ¥486

-1.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.13 ¥495

-67.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.99 ¥2,998

-80.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.06 ¥167

38.68%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

17.37%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

75.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$150 ¥23.6K

-35.56%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.41 ¥3,696

-51.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.11 ¥4,754

-44.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$50.5 ¥7,980

33.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.49 ¥1,972

-14.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.12 ¥2,072

-42.84%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,408 ¥222.3K

-66.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-38.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$55.1 ¥8,694

13.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.60 ¥5,148

-12.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$64.8 ¥10.2K

45.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$72.1 ¥11.4K

18.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$609 ¥96.2K

17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$388 ¥61.3K

26.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$893 ¥141.0K

115.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$721 ¥113.9K

98.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,783 ¥597.2K

10.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,111 ¥333.3K

44.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.25

147.56%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Utsunomiya

$388 29.5% 20.9% $103

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Utsunomiya

$327 24.8% 22.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Utsunomiya

$203 15.4% 63.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Utsunomiya

$101 7.7% 17.1% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.1% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Utsunomiya

$77 5.8% 6.6% $5.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Utsunomiya

$88 6.7% 24.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $609 in Utsunomiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in Utsunomiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $327, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

519,217

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Utsunomiya 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Utsunomiya

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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,974 in Utsunomiya 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: $716 in Phuket versus $609 in Utsunomiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,408 in Utsunomiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Utsunomiya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket 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 Utsunomiya are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.