Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,663 in Tokyo versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Tokyo $1,663
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Tokyo versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Tokyo $2,592
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,521 in Tokyo versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Tokyo $3,521
Phuket $2,867

Living in Tokyo is roughly 38% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 23% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$4.58 ฿153

63.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$32.48 ฿1,086

15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$8.55 ฿286

-42.69%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$2.72 ฿91.0

33.09%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$0.94 ฿31.25

76.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.49 ฿16.39

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$2.59 ฿86.6

42.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$3.83 ฿128

36.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.74 ฿58.1

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$1.43 ฿47.82

22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$1.53 ฿51.0

267.97%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$2.17 ฿72.7

1.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$19.15 ฿640

-41.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$3.30 ฿110

107.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$11.14 ฿372

49.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$2.95 ฿98.5

62.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.68 ฿56.1

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$2.30 ฿76.8

83.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$2.13 ฿71.3

144.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$1.53 ฿51.1

115.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$1.36 ฿45.55

124.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.12 ฿37.44

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$0.55 ฿18.24

47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$4.26 ฿142

-7.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$18.19 ฿608

-46.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.74 ฿58.2

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$2.79 ฿93.3

-3.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$2.22 ฿74.1

-43.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$22.06 ฿737

189.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.91 ฿97.3

7.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.01 ฿33.79

217.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$3.83 ฿128

384.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.49 ฿49.85

-29.53%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-19.24%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-43.24%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$99.4 ฿3,321

49.45%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$11.28 ฿377

91.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$17.36 ฿580

76.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$52.3 ฿1,747

27.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$10.85 ฿362

135.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$7.57 ฿253

67.50%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$558 ฿18.7K

141.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

55.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$62.9 ฿2,102

-10.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$28.58 ฿955

15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-33.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$88.1 ฿2,943

-20.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$729 ฿24.4K

71.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$460 ฿15.4K

52.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

19.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

16.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

172.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

70.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$493 ฿16.5K

508.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

5.57

-59.61%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 34.3% $240

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 17.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 36.2% $73

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 22.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 23.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 26.7% $25

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 55.8% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,253 in Tokyo and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 508% 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: $37.00 in Tokyo vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

22:51 10:51 PM

2 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tokyo Phuket 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
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

Tokyo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 508% higher in Tokyo, 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: $1,253 in Tokyo versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,350 in Tokyo 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 21% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,663 in Tokyo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. 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 Tokyo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tokyo 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 38% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.