Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yamaguchi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,202 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Yamaguchi
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Yamaguchi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,202

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Yamaguchi versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Yamaguchi $1,202
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,849 in Yamaguchi versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Yamaguchi $1,849
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,495 in Yamaguchi versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Yamaguchi $2,495
Phuket $3,154

Living in Yamaguchi costs roughly 6% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yamaguchi 12% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ¥600

$4.47 ฿151

-14.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 ¥5,050

$32.41 ฿1,094

-1.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$8.81 ฿297

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ¥586

$2.83 ฿95.5

31.10%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.87 ฿29.43

20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.49 ฿16.67

53.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 ¥613

$2.56 ฿86.4

51.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥349

$3.68 ฿124

-39.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.66 ฿56.0

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥288

$1.46 ฿49.35

25.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.61 ¥1,045

$1.50 ฿50.6

340.67%

Eggs

$2.21 ¥349

$2.09 ฿70.5

5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.53 ¥2,928

$19.07 ฿644

-2.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 ¥834

$3.30 ฿111

60.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 ¥3,002

$10.91 ฿368

74.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥587

$2.93 ฿99.0

26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.69 ฿57.1

10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 ¥445

$2.25 ฿75.8

25.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$2.08 ฿70.1

56.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ¥351

$1.51 ฿51.0

47.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ¥402

$1.38 ฿46.56

84.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ¥171

$1.07 ฿35.99

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.52 ฿17.52

78.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥638

$4.20 ฿142

-3.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 ¥980

$18.79 ฿634

-67.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥264

$1.82 ฿61.5

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥302

$2.84 ฿95.9

-32.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$1.45 ฿49.03

2.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 ¥8,021

$56.7 ฿1,913

-10.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.02 ฿102

32.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 ¥382

$1.02 ฿34.36

137.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.73 ¥2,800

$3.69 ฿125

380.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.47 ฿49.81

-27.21%

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

$22.5K ¥3.6M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-15.80%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-42.53%

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

$214 ¥33.8K

$96.4 ฿3,254

122.17%

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

$24.94 ¥3,940

$11.26 ฿380

121.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.47 ¥5,288

$16.85 ฿569

98.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,327

$67.2 ฿2,270

-21.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.67 ¥2,001

$7.50 ฿253

68.93%

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

$695 ¥109.9K

$476 ฿16.1K

46.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

7.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.71 ¥7,695

$62.4 ฿2,106

-21.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.97 ¥4,103

$28.41 ฿959

-8.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 ¥10.4K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-30.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.76 ¥7,546

$85.8 ฿2,898

-44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 ¥64.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

-42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ¥40.4K

$491 ฿16.6K

-47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 ¥127.3K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-58.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥90.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-60.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,869 ¥769.3K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

16.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ¥317.0K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-34.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.57

-64.63%

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

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yamaguchi

$317 26.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yamaguchi

$272 22.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.3% $148

Accommodation & Living

Yamaguchi

$256 21.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 91.9% $235

Eating Out

Yamaguchi

$121 10.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.6% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Yamaguchi

$78 6.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 5.4% $4.2

Getting Around

Yamaguchi

$73 6.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Yamaguchi and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Yamaguchi vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $317 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

2 h behind Yamaguchi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,966

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yamaguchi Phuket 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Yamaguchi
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

Yamaguchi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yamaguchi is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,803 in Yamaguchi and $1,917 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: $409 in Yamaguchi versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $695 in Yamaguchi versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Yamaguchi runs roughly 10% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Yamaguchi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Yamaguchi 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.