Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yamaguchi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,202 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Yamaguchi
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Yamaguchi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yamaguchi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,202 in Yamaguchi.

Phuket $1,278
Yamaguchi $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,849 in Yamaguchi.

Phuket $2,216
Yamaguchi $1,849

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,495 in Yamaguchi.

Phuket $3,154
Yamaguchi $2,495

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Yamaguchi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yamaguchi 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.80 ¥600

17.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$31.96 ¥5,047

1.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.02 ¥793

75.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.71 ¥586

-23.72%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.05 ¥166

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.75 ¥118

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.88 ¥612

-34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.21 ¥349

66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 ¥245

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.83 ¥288

-20.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.61 ¥1,044

-77.31%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.21 ¥349

-5.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$18.53 ¥2,926

2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.28 ¥833

-37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$19.00 ¥3,001

-42.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.71 ¥586

-21.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.87 ¥295

-9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.82 ¥445

-20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.26 ¥515

-36.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.22 ¥351

-31.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.54 ¥401

-45.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.08 ¥171

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.93 ¥147

-44.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.04 ¥638

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.20 ¥979

203.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.67 ¥263

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.91 ¥302

48.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.48 ¥234

-2.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$50.8 ¥8,016

11.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.00 ¥631

-24.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.42 ¥382

-57.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$17.73 ¥2,799

-79.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.07 ¥169

37.38%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.5K ¥3.6M

18.77%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

74.00%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$214 ¥33.8K

-54.99%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.94 ¥3,938

-54.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$33.47 ¥5,284

-49.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$52.7 ¥8,321

27.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.67 ¥2,000

-40.81%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$695 ¥109.8K

-31.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$12.1K ¥1.9M

-6.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$48.71 ¥7,690

28.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$25.97 ¥4,101

9.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$65.8 ¥10.4K

43.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$47.76 ¥7,541

79.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$409 ¥64.6K

74.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$256 ¥40.4K

91.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$806 ¥127.2K

139.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$572 ¥90.3K

150.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,869 ¥768.8K

-14.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,007 ¥316.8K

51.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.97

182.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yamaguchi

$256 21.3% 47.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yamaguchi

$317 26.4% 19.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yamaguchi

$272 22.7% 119% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1% 30.5% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yamaguchi

$121 10.1% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yamaguchi

$78 6.5% 5.1% $4.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yamaguchi

$73 6.1% 3.1% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $409 in Yamaguchi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Yamaguchi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $317 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

22:01 10:01 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

193,966

💱 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 = 37.58 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 →

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Between locations

Phuket Yamaguchi 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yamaguchi

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 Yamaguchi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yamaguchi is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,803 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: $716 in Phuket versus $409 in Yamaguchi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $695 in Yamaguchi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Yamaguchi runs roughly 10% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Yamaguchi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 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.