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: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,287 in Yamaguchi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,972 in Yamaguchi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,657 in Yamaguchi.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 3% less than in Yamaguchi, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yamaguchi 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$4.27 ¥694

6.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.37 ¥5,584

34.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.56 ¥904

58.99%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.18 ¥517

-3.77%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.04 ¥169

-29.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.76 ¥123

-47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.65 ¥430

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$4.94 ¥803

-23.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.68 ¥272

34.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.67 ¥271

8.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.18 ¥680

-46.17%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.57 ¥418

-12.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$10.18 ¥1,654

91.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.00 ¥975

-39.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$21.05 ¥3,420

-38.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$3.17 ¥515

1.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.40 ¥228

15.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$1.41 ¥229

68.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$5.80 ¥942

-65.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$2.80 ¥455

-45.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.25 ¥528

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$0.98 ¥160

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.75 ¥123

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.92 ¥637

13.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$6.34 ¥1,030

188.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.99 ¥323

-6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.14 ¥348

25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.67 ¥272

-15.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$55.3 ¥8,985

-78.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$4.67 ¥759

-33.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$2.91 ¥473

-64.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$19.33 ¥3,141

-27.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.20 ¥195

9.17%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$23.4K ¥3.8M

18.90%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$20.3K ¥3.3M

63.48%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$216 ¥35.1K

-43.28%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.09 ¥4,401

-49.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$35.57 ¥5,780

-47.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$54.8 ¥8,898

10.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$14.05 ¥2,283

20.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$13.68 ¥2,222

-33.70%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$422 ¥68.5K

67.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$13.6K ¥2.2M

16.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$43.18 ¥7,016

35.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$29.49 ¥4,792

19.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$65.9 ¥10.7K

75.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$59.7 ¥9,701

40.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$477 ¥77.5K

31.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$334 ¥54.3K

33.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$882 ¥143.3K

131.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$652 ¥106.0K

128.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$4,333 ¥704.0K

-19.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$1,945 ¥316.0K

32.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $477 in Yamaguchi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Yamaguchi. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Phuket and $1,930 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: $626 in Phuket versus $477 in Yamaguchi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $422 in Yamaguchi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Yamaguchi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,287 in Yamaguchi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Yamaguchi. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Yamaguchi, 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Yamaguchi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.