Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saitama and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saitama and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Saitama $1,007
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,330 in Saitama versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Saitama $1,330
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,653 in Saitama versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Saitama $1,653
Phuket $2,845

Living in Saitama costs roughly 17% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saitama 26% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 ¥876

$4.40 ฿147

26.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,920

$32.26 ฿1,078

-3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥768

$8.76 ฿293

-44.52%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$2.83 ฿94.5

8.48%

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

$0.72 ¥114

$0.90 ฿30.14

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥103

$0.47 ฿15.56

38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ¥389

$2.55 ฿85.2

-3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$3.83 ฿128

-16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.73 ฿57.7

-16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.47 ฿49.11

11.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ¥423

$1.51 ฿50.6

77.48%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥316

$2.17 ฿72.7

-7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 ¥1,601

$19.70 ฿658

-48.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ¥861

$3.34 ฿112

63.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 ¥2,281

$11.16 ฿373

29.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 ¥882

$2.85 ฿95.1

95.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$1.70 ฿56.9

32.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 ¥449

$2.19 ฿73.3

29.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 ¥662

$2.05 ฿68.4

104.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥412

$1.45 ฿48.57

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.38 ฿46.16

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.07 ฿35.69

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.51 ฿16.91

56.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥585

$4.26 ฿142

-13.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 ¥999

$18.58 ฿621

-65.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥274

$1.78 ฿59.7

-2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$2.85 ฿95.2

-25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 ¥545

$2.26 ฿75.6

52.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥492

$3.01 ฿101

3.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.06 ฿35.34

154.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$3.86 ฿129

423.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.14%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-16.76%

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

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-46.58%

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

$131 ¥20.7K

$96.4 ฿3,221

35.96%

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

$17.62 ¥2,784

$11.04 ฿369

59.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.87 ¥5,036

$17.14 ฿573

85.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ¥9,721

$52.2 ฿1,744

17.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$7.81 ฿261

42.38%

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

$620 ¥97.9K

$556 ฿18.6K

11.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

28.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.90 ¥5,514

$64.2 ฿2,146

-45.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.61 ¥4,047

$28.69 ฿959

-10.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 ¥8,772

$95.4 ฿3,187

-41.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.9 ¥9,773

$88.0 ฿2,940

-29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥65.3K

$737 ฿24.6K

-43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ¥37.4K

$462 ฿15.5K

-48.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,505 ¥237.7K

$501 ฿16.7K

200.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

5.57

-63.02%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$275 27.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 2.4% $6.6

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$237 23.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 95.4% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$181 17.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 31% $56

Eating Out

Saitama

$120 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$84 8.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 19.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 55.3% $44

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 29.7% $9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Saitama and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saitama pays 200% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Saitama vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

2 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saitama Phuket 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
Phuket

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

Saitama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saitama is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 200% higher in Saitama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $414 in Saitama versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $620 in Saitama versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saitama – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saitama but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Saitama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Saitama 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, Saitama and Phuket 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 Saitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.