Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakayama and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,276 in Wakayama, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Wakayama despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,276 in Wakayama versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Wakayama $1,276
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Wakayama versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Wakayama $2,031
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,785 in Wakayama versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Wakayama $2,785
Phuket $2,845

Living in Wakayama is roughly 6% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,022

$4.40 ฿147

47.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 ¥4,932

$32.26 ฿1,078

-3.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥773

$8.76 ฿293

-44.18%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$2.83 ฿94.5

-13.07%

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

$1.25 ¥197

$0.90 ฿30.14

38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.47 ฿15.56

82.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥506

$2.55 ฿85.2

25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$3.83 ฿128

-51.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.73 ฿57.7

-9.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.47 ฿49.11

4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 ¥675

$1.51 ฿50.6

182.78%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥334

$2.17 ฿72.7

-2.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 ¥2,534

$19.70 ฿658

-18.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 ¥1,114

$3.34 ฿112

111.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 ¥2,701

$11.16 ฿373

53.23%

Apples (1kg)

$8.20 ¥1,296

$2.85 ฿95.1

187.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 ¥478

$1.70 ฿56.9

77.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$2.19 ฿73.3

135.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.94 ¥1,255

$2.05 ฿68.4

287.32%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$1.45 ฿48.57

176.55%

Onion (1kg)

$4.59 ¥726

$1.38 ฿46.16

232.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.07 ฿35.69

6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.51 ฿16.91

72.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$4.26 ฿142

-6.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$18.58 ฿621

-49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$1.78 ฿59.7

39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$2.85 ฿95.2

-24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$2.26 ฿75.6

-33.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,496

$22.10 ฿738

143.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$3.01 ฿101

1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 ¥460

$1.06 ฿35.34

174.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.69 ¥2,478

$3.86 ฿129

306.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 ฿48.45

-26.90%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-16.51%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-44.18%

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

$117 ¥18.4K

$96.4 ฿3,221

21.12%

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

$23.45 ¥3,705

$11.04 ฿369

112.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 ¥4,968

$17.14 ฿573

83.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,109

$52.2 ฿1,744

-1.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ¥1,771

$7.81 ฿261

43.53%

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

$564 ¥89.1K

$556 ฿18.6K

1.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

28.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,800

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.42 ¥5,596

$28.69 ฿959

23.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 ¥9,385

$95.4 ฿3,187

-37.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ¥15.6K

$88.0 ฿2,940

12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$737 ฿24.6K

-28.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.3K

$462 ฿15.5K

-27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 ¥172.7K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-47.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ¥116.5K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-38.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,206 ¥664.5K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

20.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,756 ¥277.4K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-30.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 ¥626.4K

$501 ฿16.7K

691.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.67

5.57

-70.02%

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

Last update for Wakayama: 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

Wakayama

$382 30%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.7% $114

Accommodation & Living

Wakayama

$337 26.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 37.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wakayama

$172 13.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 27.4% $47

Eating Out

Wakayama

$124 9.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 2.3% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Wakayama

$109 8.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.7% $15

Getting Around

Wakayama

$77 6.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 49% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Wakayama

$74 5.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 8.1% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Wakayama and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wakayama pays 692% 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 Wakayama vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

2 h behind Wakayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,163

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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Wakayama Phuket 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Wakayama
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

Wakayama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 692% higher in Wakayama, 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: $526 in Wakayama versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $564 in Wakayama 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 42% higher in Wakayama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,276 in Wakayama, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wakayama. 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 Wakayama, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Wakayama 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 6% less than in Wakayama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.