Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yokohama and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Yokohama and in Phuket: $1,340 and $1,278 a month, rent and utilities included.

Yokohama, Japan
Phuket, Thailand
Yokohama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,340
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Yokohama versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Yokohama $1,340
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Yokohama versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Yokohama $2,054
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,768 in Yokohama versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Yokohama $2,768
  • Phuket $3,154

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Yokohama 2% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.45 ¥1,019
$4.47 ฿151
44.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.72 ¥6,433
$32.41 ฿1,094
25.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.19 ¥820
$8.81 ฿297
-41.09%
Cappuccino
$3.41 ¥539
$2.83 ฿95.5
20.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ¥167
$0.87 ฿29.43
21.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥116
$0.49 ฿16.67
51.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.60 ¥410
$2.56 ฿86.4
1.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 ¥489
$3.68 ฿124
-16.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 ¥231
$1.66 ฿56.0
-12.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 ¥277
$1.46 ฿49.35
19.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.59 ¥567
$1.50 ฿50.6
139.33%
Eggs
$2.03 ¥320
$2.09 ฿70.5
-2.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.26 ¥1,621
$19.07 ฿644
-46.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.14 ¥970
$3.30 ฿111
86.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.66 ¥2,316
$10.91 ฿368
34.37%
Apples (1kg)
$5.54 ¥876
$2.93 ฿99.0
89.08%
Banana (1kg)
$2.76 ¥437
$1.69 ฿57.1
63.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 ¥468
$2.25 ฿75.8
31.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.10 ¥648
$2.08 ฿70.1
97.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.52 ¥398
$1.51 ฿51.0
66.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 ¥407
$1.38 ฿46.56
86.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 ¥205
$1.07 ฿35.99
21.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥121
$0.52 ฿17.52
48.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.90 ¥617
$4.20 ฿142
-7.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.30 ¥995
$18.79 ฿634
-66.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ¥288
$1.82 ฿61.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 ¥331
$2.84 ฿95.9
-26.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 ¥217
$1.45 ฿49.03
-5.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.4 ¥9,862
$56.7 ฿1,913
10.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ¥491
$3.02 ฿102
2.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.66 ¥421
$1.02 ฿34.36
160.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.61 ¥3,256
$3.69 ฿125
458.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ¥169
$1.47 ฿49.81
-27.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ¥3.4M
$26.8K ฿904.3K
-19.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.1K ¥2.5M
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-39.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 ¥20.6K
$96.4 ฿3,254
35.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.74 ¥3,909
$11.26 ฿380
119.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.65 ¥5,159
$16.85 ฿569
93.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.93 ¥7,730
$67.2 ฿2,270
-27.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.78 ¥1,861
$10.73 ฿362
9.79%
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 ¥2,068
$7.50 ฿253
74.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$805 ¥127.2K
$476 ฿16.1K
69.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ¥2.4M
$11.3K ฿380.4K
32.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ¥9,739
$62.4 ฿2,106
-1.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.72 ¥5,960
$28.41 ฿959
32.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.6 ¥9,893
$94.3 ฿3,184
-33.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 ¥16.1K
$85.8 ฿2,898
18.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,097 ¥173.2K
$716 ฿24.2K
53.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$450 ¥71.0K
$491 ฿16.6K
-8.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,796 ¥283.8K
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-6.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$805 ¥127.1K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-43.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,778 ¥912.8K
$4,175 ฿141.0K
38.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,066 ¥642.3K
$3,045 ฿102.8K
33.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Yokohama
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,669 ¥421.7K
$502 ฿17.0K
431.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.64
5.57
-52.60%

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

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Yokohama
$450
Phuket
$491 9.2% $41
Groceries & Markets
Yokohama
$290
Phuket
$266 8.1% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yokohama
$188
Phuket
$124 33.7% $63
Eating Out
Yokohama
$134
Phuket
$122 9.5% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Yokohama
$119
Phuket
$122 2.7% $3.2
Getting Around
Yokohama
$84
Phuket
$71 16.3% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Yokohama
$75
Phuket
$82 9.5% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,097 in Yokohama and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokohama pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Yokohama vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Yokohama
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
03:47 3:47 AM
01:47 1:47 AM
2 h behind Yokohama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,777,491
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Yokohama Phuket 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Yokohama
  • 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
Yokohama vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Yokohama?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Yokohama or Phuket?
Average pay in Yokohama is about 5.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Yokohama and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,097 in Yokohama versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $805 in Yokohama versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Yokohama and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Yokohama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 enough for either Yokohama or Phuket?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Yokohama or Phuket more family-friendly?
For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Yokohama, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Yokohama or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Yokohama 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Yokohama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Yokohama vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?