Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setagaya-ku and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Setagaya-ku and in Phuket: $1,183 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Setagaya-ku $1,183
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in Setagaya-ku versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Setagaya-ku $1,834
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,484 in Setagaya-ku versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Setagaya-ku $2,484
Phuket $2,867

Living in Setagaya-ku costs roughly 2% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Setagaya-ku 12% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 ¥968

$4.58 ฿153

33.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.64 ¥4,050

$32.48 ฿1,086

-21.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥690

$8.55 ฿286

-49.01%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥470

$2.72 ฿91.0

9.19%

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

$1.04 ¥165

$0.94 ฿31.25

10.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥102

$0.49 ฿16.39

32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ¥346

$2.59 ฿86.6

-15.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.83 ฿128

-15.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.74 ฿58.1

-29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥272

$1.43 ฿47.82

20.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 ¥575

$1.53 ฿51.0

137.91%

Eggs

$1.17 ¥186

$2.17 ฿72.7

-46.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 ¥1,643

$19.15 ฿640

-45.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 ¥965

$3.30 ฿110

85.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥2,252

$11.14 ฿372

27.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 ¥883

$2.95 ฿98.5

89.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.68 ฿56.1

63.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 ¥466

$2.30 ฿76.8

28.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$2.13 ฿71.3

94.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 ¥415

$1.53 ฿51.1

71.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.36 ฿45.55

93.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.12 ฿37.44

10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥87.7

$0.55 ฿18.24

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥599

$4.26 ฿142

-11.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 ¥989

$18.19 ฿608

-65.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥287

$1.74 ฿58.2

4.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥330

$2.79 ฿93.3

-25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$2.22 ฿74.1

-34.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 ¥8,012

$22.06 ฿737

129.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$2.91 ฿97.3

11.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥421

$1.01 ฿33.79

163.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.85 ¥3,294

$3.83 ฿128

444.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.49 ฿49.85

-26.17%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-20.44%

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

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-30.52%

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

$131 ¥20.6K

$99.4 ฿3,321

31.47%

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

$23.82 ¥3,764

$11.28 ฿377

111.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.73 ¥5,013

$17.36 ฿580

82.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥8,691

$52.3 ฿1,747

5.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.52 ¥1,820

$7.57 ฿253

52.18%

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

$636 ¥100.5K

$558 ฿18.7K

13.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

28.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ¥9,846

$62.9 ฿2,102

-0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.37 ¥5,747

$28.58 ฿955

27.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.1 ¥9,814

$96.1 ฿3,213

-35.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.2K

$88.1 ฿2,943

16.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ¥84.4K

$729 ฿24.4K

-26.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$460 ฿15.4K

-29.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 ¥182.0K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-45.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 ¥106.4K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-44.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,724 ¥588.4K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

7.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,635 ¥258.4K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-34.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-64.09%

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

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 41.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 4.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 31.3% $58

Eating Out

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 0.5% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Setagaya-ku

$118 10%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.8% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 13.6% $11

Getting Around

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 46.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $534 in Setagaya-ku and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Setagaya-ku vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $281 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

2 h behind Setagaya-ku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

943,664

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 19, 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 19, 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

Setagaya-ku Phuket 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Setagaya-ku
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

Setagaya-ku vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setagaya-ku is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,775 in Setagaya-ku and $1,811 in Phuket 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: $534 in Setagaya-ku versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $636 in Setagaya-ku versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setagaya-ku but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Setagaya-ku the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Setagaya-ku 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, Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.