Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shizuoka and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Shizuoka: $1,138 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shizuoka
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Shizuoka Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Shizuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Shizuoka versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Shizuoka $1,138
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,789 in Shizuoka versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Shizuoka $1,789
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,441 in Shizuoka versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Shizuoka $2,441
Phuket $2,867

Living in Shizuoka costs roughly 6% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shizuoka 16% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 ¥1,015

$4.58 ฿153

40.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.81 ¥5,026

$32.48 ฿1,086

-2.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥802

$8.55 ฿286

-40.58%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥468

$2.72 ฿91.0

8.82%

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

$0.97 ¥152

$0.94 ฿31.25

3.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥119

$0.49 ฿16.39

55.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥435

$2.59 ฿86.6

6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ¥605

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.74 ฿58.1

-13.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥198

$1.43 ฿47.82

-12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 ¥709

$1.53 ฿51.0

193.46%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥289

$2.17 ฿72.7

-15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 ¥1,123

$19.15 ฿640

-62.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$3.30 ฿110

63.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.11 ¥2,229

$11.14 ฿372

26.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ¥519

$2.95 ฿98.5

11.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ¥305

$1.68 ฿56.1

14.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 ¥541

$2.30 ฿76.8

48.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 ¥495

$2.13 ฿71.3

46.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.53 ฿51.1

-1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.36 ฿45.55

-16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.12 ฿37.44

-0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$0.55 ฿18.24

56.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$4.26 ฿142

-9.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.70 ¥1,375

$18.19 ฿608

-52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.74 ฿58.2

-14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.79 ฿93.3

16.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 ¥283

$2.22 ฿74.1

-19.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ¥8,514

$22.06 ฿737

144.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 ¥546

$2.91 ฿97.3

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 ¥293

$1.01 ฿33.79

84.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.01 ¥3,003

$3.83 ฿128

396.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥165

$1.49 ฿49.85

-30.20%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-18.71%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-42.81%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$99.4 ฿3,321

38.93%

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

$15.18 ¥2,398

$11.28 ฿377

34.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 ¥4,764

$17.36 ฿580

73.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,316

$52.3 ฿1,747

0.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ¥1,709

$10.85 ฿362

-0.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 ¥1,928

$7.57 ฿253

61.29%

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

$320 ¥50.5K

$558 ฿18.7K

-42.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K ¥2.1M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

15.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.49 ¥2,921

$62.9 ฿2,102

-70.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ¥3,378

$28.58 ฿955

-25.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,725

$96.1 ฿3,213

-35.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 ¥14.3K

$88.1 ฿2,943

2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$331 ¥52.3K

$729 ฿24.4K

-54.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.6K

$460 ฿15.4K

-27.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 ¥171.2K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 ¥115.5K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-40.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,146 ¥655.0K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

19.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,741 ¥275.0K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-30.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,232 ¥352.7K

$493 ฿16.5K

352.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-82.05%

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

Last update for Shizuoka: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shizuoka

$333 29.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 38.3% $127

Groceries & Markets

Shizuoka

$254 22.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 5.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shizuoka

$183 16.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 30.2% $55

Eating Out

Shizuoka

$131 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 7% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Shizuoka

$86 7.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 43.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Shizuoka

$77 6.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 12.5% $9.6

Getting Around

Shizuoka

$74 6.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 47.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $331 in Shizuoka and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shizuoka pays 353% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Shizuoka vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $268 per month, with Shizuoka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shizuoka

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

2 h behind Shizuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,803

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 →

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Shizuoka Phuket 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shizuoka
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

Shizuoka vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shizuoka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 353% higher in Shizuoka, 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: $331 in Shizuoka versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $320 in Shizuoka versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,138 in Shizuoka versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shizuoka but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shizuoka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shizuoka 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, Shizuoka 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 Shizuoka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.