Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokushima and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,274 in Tokushima, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. The total is higher in Tokushima despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tokushima
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Tokushima Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tokushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,274

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,274 in Tokushima versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Tokushima $1,274
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,039 in Tokushima versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Tokushima $2,039
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,804 in Tokushima versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Tokushima $2,804
Phuket $2,845

Living in Tokushima is roughly 5% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tokushima 6% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.05 ¥1,115

$4.40 ฿147

60.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.38 ¥4,958

$32.26 ฿1,078

-2.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥803

$8.76 ฿293

-42.01%

Cappuccino

$2.44 ¥386

$2.83 ฿94.5

-13.78%

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

$1.29 ¥204

$0.90 ฿30.14

43.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.47 ฿15.56

72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 ¥495

$2.55 ฿85.2

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥489

$3.83 ฿128

-19.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.73 ฿57.7

-13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.47 ฿49.11

2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 ¥641

$1.51 ฿50.6

168.21%

Eggs

$2.21 ¥349

$2.17 ฿72.7

1.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.82 ¥2,499

$19.70 ฿658

-19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 ¥1,105

$3.34 ฿112

109.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.41 ¥2,751

$11.16 ฿373

56.00%

Apples (1kg)

$8.19 ¥1,293

$2.85 ฿95.1

187.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 ¥477

$1.70 ฿56.9

77.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.08 ¥803

$2.19 ฿73.3

131.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.12 ¥967

$2.05 ฿68.4

198.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ¥588

$1.45 ฿48.57

156.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.79 ¥599

$1.38 ฿46.16

174.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.07 ฿35.69

6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥132

$0.51 ฿16.91

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 ¥626

$4.26 ฿142

-7.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.68 ¥1,530

$18.58 ฿621

-47.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ¥395

$1.78 ฿59.7

40.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥327

$2.85 ฿95.2

-27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥240

$2.26 ฿75.6

-32.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.7 ¥8,487

$22.10 ฿738

143.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 ¥507

$3.01 ฿101

6.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥459

$1.06 ฿35.34

173.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.93 ¥5,045

$3.86 ฿129

727.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.14%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-17.20%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-44.69%

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

$114 ¥18.1K

$96.4 ฿3,221

18.57%

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

$23.74 ¥3,750

$11.04 ฿369

115.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.53 ¥4,981

$17.14 ฿573

83.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$52.2 ฿1,744

15.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.82 ¥3,922

$11.16 ฿373

122.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.34 ¥1,792

$7.81 ฿261

45.20%

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

$578 ¥91.3K

$556 ฿18.6K

4.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

27.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.24 ¥7,779

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 ¥5,610

$28.69 ฿959

23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 ¥9,579

$95.4 ฿3,187

-36.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 ¥15.6K

$88.0 ฿2,940

12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 ¥82.5K

$737 ฿24.6K

-29.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.8K

$462 ฿15.5K

-27.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 ¥171.1K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 ¥115.4K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-39.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,217 ¥666.3K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

20.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,734 ¥274.0K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-31.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 ¥219.0K

$501 ฿16.7K

176.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

5.57

-63.73%

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

Last update for Tokushima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tokushima

$369 29%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 27.2% $100

Accommodation & Living

Tokushima

$334 26.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 38.5% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokushima

$170 13.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 26.5% $45

Eating Out

Tokushima

$131 10.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 7.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Tokushima

$110 8.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Tokushima

$83 6.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 18.5% $15

Getting Around

Tokushima

$78 6.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 49.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $522 in Tokushima and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokushima pays 177% 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: $31.00 in Tokushima vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $369 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokushima

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

2 h behind Tokushima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

252,391

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 →

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Tokushima Phuket 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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

Tokushima vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 177% higher in Tokushima, 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: $522 in Tokushima versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $578 in Tokushima versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Tokushima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,274 in Tokushima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tokushima. 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 Tokushima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tokushima 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 5% less than in Tokushima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.