Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Wakayama Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Wakayama

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,231 in Wakayama.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,984 in Wakayama.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $2,737 in Wakayama.

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Wakayama, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Wakayama 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$6.35 ¥975

-26.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$31.19 ¥4,790

3.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$4.93 ¥758

76.06%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$2.36 ¥362

22.88%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$1.29 ¥198

-34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.85 ¥131

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$3.22 ¥495

-22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$1.86 ¥286

100.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.47 ¥226

28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$1.51 ¥232

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$4.22 ¥649

-61.61%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$2.09 ¥320

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$15.81 ¥2,427

25.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$6.72 ¥1,032

-48.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$17.19 ¥2,640

-33.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$8.36 ¥1,284

-65.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$2.95 ¥454

-41.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$5.04 ¥774

-54.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$7.82 ¥1,200

-72.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$3.94 ¥606

-62.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$4.49 ¥690

-68.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$1.11 ¥170

-0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.92 ¥142

-34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$3.81 ¥586

13.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$9.56 ¥1,468

94.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$2.49 ¥383

-27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$2.16 ¥332

37.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$1.43 ¥220

57.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$55.8 ¥8,574

-57.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$3.11 ¥478

-0.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$2.78 ¥427

-61.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$15.46 ¥2,374

-74.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.05 ¥161

36.19%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$21.9K ¥3.4M

26.91%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$15.2K ¥2.3M

77.77%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$113 ¥17.4K

-7.36%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$22.92 ¥3,519

-50.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$30.47 ¥4,679

-42.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$49.56 ¥7,610

9.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$11.29 ¥1,734

-31.09%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$577 ¥88.6K

-0.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-21.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$49.76 ¥7,641

27.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$35.13 ¥5,394

-17.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$61.1 ¥9,388

57.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$98.9 ¥15.2K

-8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$468 ¥71.9K

56.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$320 ¥49.2K

56.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$1,046 ¥160.6K

103.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$728 ¥111.7K

72.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$4,311 ¥662.0K

-18.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,875 ¥287.9K

39.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

$3,924 ¥602.6K

-87.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.66

235.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $468 in Wakayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wakayama pays 673% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Wakayama. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $379, 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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wakayama is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 673% lower in Wakayama. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $733 in Phuket versus $468 in Wakayama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $577 in Wakayama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 38% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,231 in Wakayama versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Wakayama 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 Wakayama 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 Wakayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.