Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suginami-ku and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Suginami-ku and in Phuket: $1,256 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

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

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Suginami-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,256

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Suginami-ku versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Suginami-ku $1,256
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,994 in Suginami-ku versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Suginami-ku $1,994
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,732 in Suginami-ku versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Suginami-ku $2,732
Phuket $2,867

Living in Suginami-ku is roughly 4% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Suginami-ku 7% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.34 ¥1,002

$4.58 ฿153

38.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.62 ¥6,418

$32.48 ฿1,086

25.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥810

$8.55 ฿286

-40.12%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ¥548

$2.72 ฿91.0

27.57%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.94 ฿31.25

11.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$0.49 ฿16.39

59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.59 ฿86.6

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$3.83 ฿128

-16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.74 ฿58.1

-17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.43 ฿47.82

18.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$1.53 ฿51.0

138.56%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥312

$2.17 ฿72.7

-9.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.52 ¥1,661

$19.15 ฿640

-45.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 ¥946

$3.30 ฿110

81.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 ¥2,241

$11.14 ฿372

27.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 ¥917

$2.95 ฿98.5

96.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 ¥434

$1.68 ฿56.1

63.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$2.30 ฿76.8

21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$2.13 ฿71.3

91.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ¥418

$1.53 ฿51.1

73.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥416

$1.36 ฿45.55

94.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.12 ฿37.44

9.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.55 ฿18.24

47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$4.26 ฿142

-10.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$18.19 ฿608

-64.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥283

$1.74 ฿58.2

2.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$2.79 ฿93.3

-27.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$2.22 ฿74.1

-37.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.37 ¥7,326

$22.06 ฿737

110.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 ¥508

$2.91 ฿97.3

10.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 ¥435

$1.01 ฿33.79

173.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.79 ¥3,285

$3.83 ฿128

442.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.49 ฿49.85

-25.50%

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

$21.0K ¥3.3M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-21.33%

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

$18.1K ¥2.9M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-32.39%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$99.4 ฿3,321

31.27%

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

$23.89 ¥3,774

$11.28 ฿377

111.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.49 ¥4,974

$17.36 ฿580

81.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ¥9,175

$52.3 ฿1,747

11.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,030

$7.57 ฿253

69.75%

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

$631 ¥99.7K

$558 ฿18.7K

13.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

28.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 ¥9,697

$62.9 ฿2,102

-2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.64 ¥5,789

$28.58 ฿955

28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 ¥9,528

$96.1 ฿3,213

-37.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$88.1 ฿2,943

15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ¥75.3K

$729 ฿24.4K

-34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥59.6K

$460 ฿15.4K

-17.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 ¥154.7K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-53.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ¥126.9K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-34.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,685 ¥740.1K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

35.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,700 ¥268.6K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-31.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,799 ¥442.2K

$493 ฿16.5K

467.74%

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 Suginami-ku: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suginami-ku

$377 30%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 21.9% $83

Groceries & Markets

Suginami-ku

$289 23%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 7.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suginami-ku

$186 14.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 31.1% $58

Eating Out

Suginami-ku

$134 10.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 9.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Suginami-ku

$117 9.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.9% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Suginami-ku

$84 6.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 19.5% $16

Getting Around

Suginami-ku

$69 5.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 43.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Suginami-ku and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 468% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $41.00 in Suginami-ku vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Suginami-ku

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

22:51 10:51 PM

2 h behind Suginami-ku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

540,180

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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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Suginami-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

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

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

Average pay runs 468% higher in Suginami-ku, 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: $477 in Suginami-ku versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $631 in Suginami-ku 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 8% higher in Suginami-ku. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Suginami-ku. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Suginami-ku, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Suginami-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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Suginami-ku. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.