Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yamanashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamanashi: $1,172 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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 Yamanashi
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Yamanashi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yamanashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yamanashi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,172 in Yamanashi.

Phuket $1,278
Yamanashi $1,172

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,904 in Yamanashi.

Phuket $2,216
Yamanashi $1,904

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,636 in Yamanashi.

Phuket $3,154
Yamanashi $2,636

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Yamanashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yamanashi 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.64 ¥1,363

-48.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$31.83 ¥5,019

1.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.94 ¥779

78.34%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.49 ¥393

13.65%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.30 ¥206

-33.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.90 ¥142

-45.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.10 ¥489

-17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.16 ¥498

16.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.97 ¥153

71.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.87 ¥137

67.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.30 ¥205

15.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.64 ¥259

27.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.75 ¥2,011

49.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.50 ¥867

-40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.02 ¥2,683

-35.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.09 ¥803

-42.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.03 ¥478

-44.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.92 ¥303

17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.59 ¥565

-42.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.70 ¥268

-11.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.43 ¥383

-43.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.10 ¥174

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.67 ¥106

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.90 ¥615

7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.68 ¥1,527

94.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.56 ¥403

-28.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.10 ¥331

35.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.62 ¥256

-10.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$58.9 ¥9,288

-3.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.12 ¥491

-3.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.84 ¥448

-64.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.17 ¥2,550

-77.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.12 ¥176

31.25%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

20.41%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

78.57%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$118 ¥18.6K

-18.51%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.18 ¥3,654

-51.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.92 ¥4,876

-45.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$54.4 ¥8,577

23.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.49 ¥1,970

-39.95%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$702 ¥110.6K

-32.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-24.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$50.9 ¥8,026

22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$36.39 ¥5,738

-21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$61.6 ¥9,706

53.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$100 ¥15.8K

-14.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$554 ¥87.3K

29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$306 ¥48.2K

60.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$985 ¥155.3K

95.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$770 ¥121.4K

85.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,903 ¥615.4K

6.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,242 ¥353.5K

35.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,540 ¥715.9K

-88.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.02

175.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yamanashi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yamanashi

$306 26.1% 37.7% $185

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yamanashi

$275 23.5% 3.3% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yamanashi

$172 14.7% 38.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yamanashi

$112 9.6% 8.1% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yamanashi

$145 12.3% 18.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yamanashi

$79 6.8% 3.5% $2.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yamanashi

$83 7.1% 17.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $554 in Yamanashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yamanashi pays about 9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Yamanashi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $275 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Yamanashi

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

16:03 4:03 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,494

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Yamanashi 5,120 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Phuket
Yamanashi

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 Yamanashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yamanashi is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $554 in Yamanashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $702 in Yamanashi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 4% less than in Yamanashi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Yamanashi 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 Yamanashi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.