Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Utsunomiya Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Utsunomiya

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,259 in Utsunomiya.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,947 in Utsunomiya.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $2,635 in Utsunomiya.

Living in Phuket is roughly 1% more expensive than in Utsunomiya, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Utsunomiya 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$6.13 ¥941

-23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$17.11 ¥2,627

88.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$4.55 ¥699

90.77%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$3.55 ¥546

-18.31%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$1.09 ¥167

-22.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.81 ¥125

-39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$3.18 ¥488

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$1.93 ¥297

93.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.39 ¥214

35.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$1.76 ¥270

-19.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$5.81 ¥893

-72.12%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$2.23 ¥342

0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$11.02 ¥1,693

80.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$7.66 ¥1,176

-54.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$19.93 ¥3,061

-42.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$5.36 ¥823

-45.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$2.56 ¥393

-32.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$4.68 ¥718

-51.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$6.05 ¥930

-64.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$3.50 ¥538

-58.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$3.37 ¥517

-57.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$1.26 ¥193

-12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.80 ¥123

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$3.95 ¥607

9.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$9.27 ¥1,423

100.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$1.83 ¥280

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$3.06 ¥470

-2.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$1.45 ¥222

55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$55.3 ¥8,491

-57.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$3.20 ¥492

-3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$3.20 ¥491

-66.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$18.70 ¥2,871

-79.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.10 ¥169

30.00%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$21.3K ¥3.3M

30.52%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$14.9K ¥2.3M

80.59%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$162 ¥24.8K

-35.18%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$22.70 ¥3,486

-49.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$29.92 ¥4,594

-41.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$49.90 ¥7,662

8.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

$12.30 ¥1,888

-6.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$12.65 ¥1,943

-38.50%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$1,301 ¥199.7K

-55.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$17.6K ¥2.7M

-34.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$52.2 ¥8,008

22.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$31.88 ¥4,896

-8.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$61.9 ¥9,506

55.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$73.0 ¥11.2K

23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$463 ¥71.0K

58.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$324 ¥49.8K

54.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$1,085 ¥166.6K

95.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$723 ¥111.0K

73.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$4,204 ¥645.6K

-15.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,907 ¥292.8K

37.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.93

188.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $463 in Utsunomiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Utsunomiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $352, 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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Utsunomiya is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,888 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: $733 in Phuket versus $463 in Utsunomiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $1,301 in Utsunomiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,259 in Utsunomiya versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Utsunomiya but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Utsunomiya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Utsunomiya 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 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.

Expats usually find Utsunomiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.