Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yamaguchi Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yamaguchi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,254 in Yamaguchi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,945 in Yamaguchi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,636 in Yamaguchi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 1% more expensive than Yamaguchi, driven mainly by Getting Around.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$4.14 ¥662

13.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$34.31 ¥5,487

32.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.62 ¥899

50.00%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.02 ¥483

-2.98%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$1.09 ¥174

-36.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.77 ¥124

-51.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.63 ¥420

-8.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$4.95 ¥792

-24.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.67 ¥266

33.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.66 ¥265

10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$4.09 ¥654

-46.94%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$2.50 ¥399

-11.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$10.07 ¥1,610

96.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$6.28 ¥1,004

-42.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$21.02 ¥3,362

-35.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$3.09 ¥494

6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$1.43 ¥229

12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$1.36 ¥218

77.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$5.94 ¥950

-64.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$2.71 ¥433

-43.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$3.20 ¥512

-53.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$0.99 ¥158

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.76 ¥122

-32.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.86 ¥617

14.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$6.40 ¥1,024

202.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.01 ¥322

-11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$2.06 ¥330

31.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$1.61 ¥257

-14.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$54.9 ¥8,786

-79.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$4.54 ¥726

-33.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$2.96 ¥473

-66.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$19.25 ¥3,079

-26.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.18 ¥190

15.25%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$23.6K ¥3.8M

19.42%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$19.8K ¥3.2M

65.88%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$221 ¥35.4K

-44.96%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$27.72 ¥4,433

-51.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$35.15 ¥5,622

-47.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$56.7 ¥9,062

6.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$13.66 ¥2,185

25.48%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$14.08 ¥2,252

-38.28%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$418 ¥66.8K

66.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$13.5K ¥2.2M

15.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$43.43 ¥6,947

37.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$29.04 ¥4,645

19.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$66.1 ¥10.6K

73.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$59.7 ¥9,545

39.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$464 ¥74.2K

32.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$333 ¥53.3K

31.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$867 ¥138.7K

141.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$659 ¥105.4K

128.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$4,679 ¥748.4K

-19.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$2,266 ¥362.4K

15.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.67

219.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $464 in Yamaguchi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Yamaguchi. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $298, 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 Yamaguchi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,880 in Yamaguchi 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 $464 in Yamaguchi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $418 in Yamaguchi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,254 in Yamaguchi versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yamaguchi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yamaguchi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi 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.