Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Takamatsu and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Takamatsu and in Phuket: $1,191 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,191 in Takamatsu versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Takamatsu $1,191
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Takamatsu versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Takamatsu $1,881
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,571 in Takamatsu versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Takamatsu $2,571
Phuket $2,845

Living in Takamatsu costs roughly 1% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Takamatsu 12% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥980

$4.40 ฿147

40.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.99 ¥5,054

$32.26 ฿1,078

-0.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥809

$8.76 ฿293

-41.55%

Cappuccino

$3.13 ¥495

$2.83 ฿94.5

10.60%

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

$1.19 ¥189

$0.90 ฿30.14

32.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.47 ฿15.56

70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ¥410

$2.55 ฿85.2

1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.83 ฿128

-15.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.73 ฿57.7

-13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥252

$1.47 ฿49.11

8.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ¥278

$1.51 ฿50.6

16.56%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥361

$2.17 ฿72.7

5.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ¥1,639

$19.70 ฿658

-47.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,043

$3.34 ฿112

97.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,659

$11.16 ฿373

50.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ¥583

$2.85 ฿95.1

29.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$1.70 ฿56.9

34.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 ¥458

$2.19 ฿73.3

32.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥671

$2.05 ฿68.4

106.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 ¥391

$1.45 ฿48.57

71.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ¥389

$1.38 ฿46.16

78.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.07 ฿35.69

18.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.51 ฿16.91

54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.67 ¥580

$4.26 ฿142

-13.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.63 ¥1,048

$18.58 ฿621

-64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥298

$1.78 ฿59.7

5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$2.85 ฿95.2

-25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$2.26 ฿75.6

-35.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥8,414

$22.10 ฿738

141.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥503

$3.01 ฿101

5.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ¥442

$1.06 ฿35.34

163.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 ¥2,938

$3.86 ฿129

381.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.45 ฿48.45

-26.90%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-18.37%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-43.98%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$96.4 ฿3,221

41.89%

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

$23.78 ¥3,757

$11.04 ฿369

115.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.79 ¥4,865

$17.14 ฿573

79.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,161

$52.2 ฿1,744

-1.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.11 ¥491

$11.16 ฿373

-72.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 ¥1,862

$7.81 ฿261

50.96%

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

$521 ¥82.3K

$556 ฿18.6K

-6.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

9.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.96 ¥7,736

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 ¥4,936

$28.69 ฿959

8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 ¥9,499

$95.4 ฿3,187

-36.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 ¥14.3K

$88.0 ฿2,940

2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥83.6K

$737 ฿24.6K

-28.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.8K

$462 ฿15.5K

-27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 ¥172.0K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-48.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 ¥116.1K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-38.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,144 ¥654.7K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

18.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,783 ¥281.6K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-29.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 ¥278.1K

$501 ฿16.7K

251.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

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

Last update for Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Takamatsu

$334 28.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 38.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

Takamatsu

$280 23.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 4.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Takamatsu

$191 16.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 34.9% $67

Eating Out

Takamatsu

$130 10.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 6.7% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Takamatsu

$104 8.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.7% $20

Getting Around

Takamatsu

$76 6.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 48.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Takamatsu

$75 6.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 9.9% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Takamatsu and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Takamatsu pays 252% 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 Takamatsu vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $280 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

2 h behind Takamatsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

426,514

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

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Highest

Between locations

Takamatsu Phuket 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Takamatsu
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

Takamatsu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Takamatsu is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 252% higher in Takamatsu, 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: $529 in Takamatsu versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $521 in Takamatsu 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 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,191 in Takamatsu versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Takamatsu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Takamatsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Takamatsu 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, Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.