Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kagoshima and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,135 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,135

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,135 per month in Kagoshima vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,135
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,887 per month in Kagoshima vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,887
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,639 per month in Kagoshima vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kagoshima $2,639
Phuket $3,154

Kagoshima is about 11% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kagoshima and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kagoshima 17% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,007

$4.47 ฿151

42.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.97 ¥5,356

$32.41 ฿1,094

4.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥842

$8.81 ฿297

-39.39%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥469

$2.83 ฿95.4

4.95%

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

$1.04 ¥165

$0.87 ฿29.42

19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.49 ฿16.66

53.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.56 ฿86.3

-2.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥348

$3.68 ฿124

-39.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.66 ฿56.0

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ¥182

$1.46 ฿49.32

-21.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 ¥812

$1.50 ฿50.5

243.33%

Eggs

$2.05 ¥324

$2.09 ฿70.5

-1.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,829

$19.07 ฿643

-5.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 ¥834

$3.30 ฿111

60.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 ¥2,960

$10.91 ฿368

72.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥585

$2.93 ฿98.9

26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥293

$1.69 ฿57.0

10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥446

$2.25 ฿75.8

25.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 ¥542

$2.08 ฿70.1

64.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$1.51 ฿51.0

38.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.38 ฿46.54

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ¥163

$1.07 ฿35.97

-3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.52 ฿17.51

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥607

$4.20 ฿142

-8.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 ¥978

$18.79 ฿634

-67.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ¥191

$1.82 ฿61.5

-33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥291

$2.84 ฿95.9

-35.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥196

$1.45 ฿49.00

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ¥8,936

$56.7 ฿1,912

0.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 ¥649

$3.02 ฿102

36.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 ¥370

$1.02 ฿34.34

129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 ¥1,782

$3.69 ฿125

206.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.47 ฿49.78

-24.49%

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

$22.6K ¥3.6M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-15.67%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-42.85%

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

$188 ¥29.6K

$96.4 ฿3,252

94.81%

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

$24.69 ¥3,894

$11.26 ฿380

119.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.51 ¥4,969

$16.85 ฿569

87.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,216

$67.2 ฿2,269

-22.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 ¥1,886

$7.50 ฿253

59.47%

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

$703 ¥110.9K

$476 ฿16.1K

47.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥1.9M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

9.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.66 ¥7,673

$62.4 ฿2,105

-21.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.33 ¥4,151

$28.41 ฿959

-7.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$94.3 ฿3,182

-30.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ¥12.0K

$85.8 ฿2,896

-11.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥86.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

-23.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 ¥34.5K

$491 ฿16.6K

-55.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 ¥151.0K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-50.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 ¥115.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-48.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,461 ¥703.4K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

6.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,528 ¥398.7K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-16.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,861 ¥293.4K

$502 ฿17.0K

270.46%

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 Kagoshima: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kagoshima

$294 25.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 9.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kagoshima

$244 21.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 49% $119

Accommodation & Living

Kagoshima

$219 19.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 124% $272

Eating Out

Kagoshima

$127 11.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.1% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Kagoshima

$98 8.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 25% $24

Getting Around

Kagoshima

$77 6.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 8.9% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kagoshima

$76 6.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 8.2% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $550 in Kagoshima versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kagoshima are about 3.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Kagoshima versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $294 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

2 h behind Kagoshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,128

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Kagoshima Phuket 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kagoshima
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

Kagoshima vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 13% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,702 per month in Kagoshima and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kagoshima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Kagoshima and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,135 in Kagoshima and $1,278 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,135 in Kagoshima to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.