Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Sendai and in Phuket: $1,161 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
Learn more

Sendai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sendai 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 Sendai and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Sendai versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Sendai $1,161
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,835 in Sendai versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Sendai $1,835
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,510 in Sendai versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Sendai $2,510
Phuket $2,845

Living in Sendai costs roughly 4% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sendai 14% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 ¥984

$4.40 ฿147

41.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 ¥5,474

$32.26 ฿1,078

7.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥711

$8.76 ฿293

-48.63%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$2.83 ฿94.5

27.92%

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

$0.94 ¥149

$0.90 ฿30.14

4.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$0.47 ฿15.56

65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.55 ฿85.2

-26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$3.83 ฿128

-16.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.73 ฿57.7

-16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.47 ฿49.11

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,048

$1.51 ฿50.6

339.74%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$2.17 ฿72.7

-3.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 ¥1,721

$19.70 ฿658

-44.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 ¥1,881

$3.34 ฿112

256.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥1,422

$11.16 ฿373

-19.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥560

$2.85 ฿95.1

24.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$1.70 ฿56.9

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 ¥707

$2.19 ฿73.3

104.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.05 ฿68.4

58.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.45 ฿48.57

77.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$1.38 ฿46.16

64.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ¥222

$1.07 ฿35.69

31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥198

$0.51 ฿16.91

145.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥701

$4.26 ฿142

4.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 ¥1,107

$18.58 ฿621

-62.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.78 ฿59.7

-11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.85 ฿95.2

-8.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$2.26 ฿75.6

-34.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 ¥5,886

$22.10 ฿738

68.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 ¥826

$3.01 ฿101

73.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.42 ¥2,910

$3.86 ฿129

377.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.45 ฿48.45

-26.90%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-39.87%

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

$24.8K ¥3.9M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-7.87%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$96.4 ฿3,221

43.13%

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

$30.52 ¥4,822

$11.04 ฿369

176.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 ¥5,495

$17.14 ฿573

102.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.60 ¥7,046

$52.2 ฿1,744

-14.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 ¥2,029

$11.16 ฿373

15.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ¥1,590

$7.81 ฿261

28.94%

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

$229 ¥36.2K

$556 ฿18.6K

-58.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,792 ¥599.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-67.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥8,868

$64.2 ฿2,146

-12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.92 ¥5,359

$28.69 ฿959

18.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.34 ¥5,583

$95.4 ฿3,187

-62.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.5 ¥8,455

$88.0 ฿2,940

-39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥88.4K

$737 ฿24.6K

-24.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$462 ฿15.5K

-29.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ¥109.4K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-66.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.9K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-40.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 ¥416.8K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-24.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 ¥225.0K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-43.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ¥157.3K

$501 ฿16.7K

98.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

5.57

-50.99%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$327 28.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 41.4% $135

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$308 26.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 12.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$203 17.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 38.7% $79

Eating Out

Sendai

$129 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 6.3% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 54.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 4.7% $3.1

Getting Around

Sendai

$48 * 4.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 18.5% $8.9

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 $560 in Sendai and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sendai pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Sendai vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

2 h behind Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sendai Phuket 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sendai
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

Sendai vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sendai is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Sendai, 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: $560 in Sendai versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $229 in Sendai versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,161 in Sendai versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sendai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sendai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sendai 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, Sendai 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 Sendai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.