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 $1,181 in Yamaguchi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,829 in Yamaguchi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $2,478 in Yamaguchi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Yamaguchi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Yamaguchi 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$3.87 ¥594

20.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$32.66 ¥5,015

-1.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$5.17 ¥794

67.89%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$3.34 ¥513

-13.17%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$1.06 ¥164

-20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.67 ¥103

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$3.95 ¥606

-37.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$2.21 ¥339

68.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.65 ¥253

14.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$1.96 ¥301

-28.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$6.91 ¥1,060

-76.56%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$2.22 ¥342

0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$18.30 ¥2,810

8.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$5.64 ¥866

-38.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$19.30 ¥2,963

-41.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$3.63 ¥557

-20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$1.86 ¥286

-7.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$2.99 ¥459

-24.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$3.38 ¥519

-36.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$2.21 ¥340

-33.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$2.58 ¥396

-44.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$1.07 ¥164

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.93 ¥143

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$4.14 ¥635

4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$6.44 ¥989

188.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$1.71 ¥263

5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$1.90 ¥291

56.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$1.47 ¥226

53.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$61.9 ¥9,500

-62.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$4.12 ¥633

-24.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$2.09 ¥321

-48.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$18.38 ¥2,823

-78.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.13 ¥174

26.55%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$22.0K ¥3.4M

26.25%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$18.0K ¥2.8M

50.18%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$190 ¥29.1K

-44.74%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$25.04 ¥3,845

-54.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$33.96 ¥5,215

-48.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$48.10 ¥7,385

12.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$11.28 ¥1,732

-31.03%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$130 ¥20.0K

343.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$12.5K ¥1.9M

-7.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$38.96 ¥5,983

63.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$24.04 ¥3,692

21.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$60.9 ¥9,353

57.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$49.32 ¥7,573

82.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$429 ¥65.8K

71.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$262 ¥40.2K

91.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$802 ¥123.2K

164.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$574 ¥88.1K

118.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$4,646 ¥713.4K

-23.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,992 ¥305.9K

31.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.85

201.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $429 in Yamaguchi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $33.00 in Yamaguchi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $324 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,771 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: $733 in Phuket versus $429 in Yamaguchi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $130 in Yamaguchi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,181 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 7% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.