Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsushima Island and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsushima Island: $1,232 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Tsushima Island
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Tsushima Island Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tsushima Island

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,232

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Tsushima Island versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Tsushima Island $1,232
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,930 in Tsushima Island versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Tsushima Island $1,930
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,629 in Tsushima Island versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Tsushima Island $2,629
Phuket $3,115

Living in Tsushima Island costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tsushima Island 9% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.98 ¥1,106

$4.39 ฿148

59.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.22 ¥5,579

$32.31 ฿1,086

9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 ¥893

$8.70 ฿293

-35.29%

Cappuccino

$3.10 ¥491

$2.72 ฿91.6

13.97%

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

$1.14 ¥181

$0.93 ฿31.28

22.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$0.50 ฿16.79

64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 ¥327

$2.53 ฿85.1

-18.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ¥491

$3.63 ฿122

-14.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥241

$1.74 ฿58.5

-12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 ¥264

$1.45 ฿48.77

15.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 ¥743

$1.50 ฿50.5

212.67%

Eggs

$2.26 ¥358

$2.17 ฿73.0

4.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ¥1,615

$19.09 ฿642

-46.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ¥977

$3.40 ฿114

81.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.46 ¥2,449

$10.90 ฿366

41.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 ¥858

$2.94 ฿98.9

84.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥416

$1.69 ฿56.9

55.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 ¥626

$2.19 ฿73.8

80.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 ¥711

$2.12 ฿71.4

111.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 ¥531

$1.46 ฿49.03

129.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$1.37 ฿45.99

86.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.08 ฿36.17

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥139

$0.55 ฿18.34

58.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 ¥646

$4.43 ฿149

-7.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 ¥1,027

$18.25 ฿614

-64.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥307

$1.77 ฿59.6

9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ¥374

$2.88 ฿96.8

-18.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 ¥254

$1.45 ฿48.66

10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 ¥8,813

$54.9 ฿1,845

1.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥561

$1.51 ฿50.9

134.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.99 ¥474

$0.78 ฿26.08

283.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.96 ¥3,320

$3.84 ฿129

445.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.49 ฿50.0

-20.13%

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

$23.6K ¥3.7M

$26.9K ฿903.7K

-12.14%

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

$17.2K ¥2.7M

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-34.65%

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

$138 ¥21.9K

$97.8 ฿3,288

41.22%

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

$27.47 ¥4,351

$11.29 ฿380

143.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.39 ¥5,289

$17.19 ฿578

94.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 ¥9,231

$68.3 ฿2,297

-14.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.99 ¥2,216

$10.92 ฿367

28.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 ¥2,118

$7.43 ฿250

79.95%

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

$284 ¥45.1K

$530 ฿17.8K

-46.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K ¥2.1M

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-29.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.63 ¥6,912

$61.7 ฿2,073

-29.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.76 ¥4,715

$28.25 ฿950

5.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.3 ¥9,388

$96.0 ฿3,228

-38.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 ¥14.3K

$86.8 ฿2,919

4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ¥74.9K

$721 ฿24.2K

-34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.6K

$509 ฿17.1K

-35.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 ¥138.3K

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-55.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 ¥105.5K

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-52.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,785 ¥441.2K

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-33.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,744 ¥276.3K

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-47.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

5.57

-67.50%

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

Last update for Tsushima Island: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tsushima Island

$326 26.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 56.2% $183

Groceries & Markets

Tsushima Island

$307 24.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 13% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tsushima Island

$199 16.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 36.5% $73

Eating Out

Tsushima Island

$134 10.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 11% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Tsushima Island

$100 8.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 22.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Tsushima Island

$85 6.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 2.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Tsushima Island

$81 6.5%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 18% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $473 in Tsushima Island and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Tsushima Island vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tsushima Island

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

11:06 11:06 AM

2 h behind Tsushima Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Tsushima Island Phuket 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Tsushima Island
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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

Tsushima Island vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsushima Island is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,848 in Tsushima Island and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $473 in Tsushima Island versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $284 in Tsushima Island versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Tsushima Island. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tsushima Island gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tsushima Island and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.