Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiso and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
Learn more

Shiso Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,048 in Shiso versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Shiso $1,048
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,913 in Shiso versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Shiso $1,913
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,777 in Shiso versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Shiso $2,777
Phuket $2,845

Living in Shiso costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shiso 23% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 ¥1,244

$4.40 ฿147

78.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 ¥10.7K

$32.26 ฿1,078

110.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 ¥993

$8.76 ฿293

-28.20%

Cappuccino

$3.69 ¥584

$2.83 ฿94.5

30.39%

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

$0.83 ¥132

$0.90 ฿30.14

-7.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$0.47 ฿15.56

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 ¥407

$2.55 ฿85.2

1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ¥497

$3.83 ฿128

-17.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.73 ฿57.7

-12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 ¥474

$1.47 ฿49.11

104.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.87 ¥769

$1.51 ฿50.6

222.52%

Eggs

$2.19 ¥346

$2.17 ฿72.7

0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ¥1,609

$19.70 ฿658

-48.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,023

$3.34 ฿112

94.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.01 ¥4,267

$11.16 ฿373

142.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 ¥842

$2.85 ฿95.1

87.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.70 ฿56.9

52.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 ¥641

$2.19 ฿73.3

85.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 ¥943

$2.05 ฿68.4

191.22%

Potato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$1.45 ฿48.57

195.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ¥411

$1.38 ฿46.16

88.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.07 ฿35.69

28.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.51 ฿16.91

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 ¥650

$4.26 ฿142

-3.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 ¥1,211

$18.58 ฿621

-58.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.78 ฿59.7

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥351

$2.85 ฿95.2

-22.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ¥216

$2.26 ฿75.6

-39.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.90 ¥5,356

$22.10 ฿738

53.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ¥564

$3.01 ฿101

18.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.88 ¥455

$1.06 ฿35.34

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.87 ¥3,297

$3.86 ฿129

440.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.45 ฿48.45

-11.72%

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

$22.9K ¥3.6M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-13.03%

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

$17.0K ¥2.7M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-36.98%

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

$144 ¥22.8K

$96.4 ฿3,221

49.80%

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

$23.93 ¥3,781

$11.04 ฿369

116.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.58 ¥2,146

$17.14 ฿573

-20.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 ¥5,805

$52.2 ฿1,744

-29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.71 ¥2,167

$11.16 ฿373

22.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 ¥726

$7.81 ฿261

-41.23%

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

$283 ¥44.8K

$556 ฿18.6K

-49.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥2.1M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

17.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.06 ¥1,589

$64.2 ฿2,146

-84.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.87 ¥4,720

$28.69 ฿959

4.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.76 ¥5,334

$95.4 ฿3,187

-64.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 ¥15.7K

$88.0 ฿2,940

13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥74.3K

$737 ฿24.6K

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ¥26.0K

$462 ฿15.5K

-64.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 ¥136.1K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-58.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ¥104.2K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-45.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,229 ¥668.1K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

21.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,769 ¥279.5K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-29.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.78

5.57

-68.04%

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

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shiso

$368 35.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 27.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shiso

$182 17.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 31.5% $57

Accommodation & Living

Shiso

$165 15.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 181% $298

Eating Out

Shiso

$152 14.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 20% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Shiso

$78 7.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 59.4% $46

Getting Around

Shiso

$57 5.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 31.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shiso

$46 4.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 47.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Shiso and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Shiso vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shiso

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

2 h behind Shiso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,610

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 21, 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 21, 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

Shiso Phuket 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shiso
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

Shiso vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shiso is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,572 in Shiso and $1,813 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: $470 in Shiso versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $283 in Shiso 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 37% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,048 in Shiso versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shiso but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shiso the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shiso 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, Shiso 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 Shiso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.