Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kamakura and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamakura: $1,138 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
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Kamakura Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Kamakura versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Kamakura $1,138
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,853 in Kamakura versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Kamakura $1,853
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,568 in Kamakura versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Kamakura $2,568
Phuket $2,845

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Kamakura 16% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.18 ¥976

$4.40 ฿147

40.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,920

$32.26 ฿1,078

-3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 ¥795

$8.76 ฿293

-42.58%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ¥388

$2.83 ฿94.5

-13.43%

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

$1.09 ¥172

$0.90 ฿30.14

21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.47 ฿15.56

61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ¥402

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$3.83 ฿128

-17.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ¥227

$1.73 ฿57.7

-17.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.47 ฿49.11

4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 ¥562

$1.51 ฿50.6

135.76%

Eggs

$1.98 ¥312

$2.17 ฿72.7

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 ¥1,638

$19.70 ฿658

-47.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 ¥981

$3.34 ฿112

85.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 ¥2,283

$11.16 ฿373

29.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$2.85 ฿95.1

95.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.70 ฿56.9

58.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$2.19 ฿73.3

27.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$2.05 ฿68.4

100.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.45 ฿48.57

76.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.38 ฿46.16

89.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.07 ฿35.69

10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.51 ฿16.91

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥594

$4.26 ฿142

-11.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 ¥968

$18.58 ฿621

-67.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.78 ฿59.7

1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥326

$2.85 ฿95.2

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$2.26 ฿75.6

-33.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.83 ¥7,873

$22.10 ฿738

125.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.01 ฿101

5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 ¥430

$1.06 ฿35.34

156.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.07 ¥2,540

$3.86 ฿129

316.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.45 ฿48.45

-24.14%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-17.54%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-43.28%

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

$114 ¥18.0K

$96.4 ฿3,221

18.04%

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

$23.64 ¥3,735

$11.04 ฿369

114.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 ¥4,883

$17.14 ฿573

80.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,218

$52.2 ฿1,744

-0.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 ¥2,038

$7.81 ฿261

65.17%

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

$585 ¥92.4K

$556 ฿18.6K

5.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

24.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.91 ¥7,884

$64.2 ฿2,146

-22.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.52 ¥5,612

$28.69 ฿959

23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 ¥9,543

$95.4 ฿3,187

-36.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 ¥15.4K

$88.0 ฿2,940

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ¥76.4K

$737 ฿24.6K

-34.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥48.1K

$462 ฿15.5K

-34.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ¥169.8K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-48.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-36.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,688 ¥740.6K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

34.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,728 ¥273.0K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-31.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,749 ¥276.4K

$501 ฿16.7K

249.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

5.57

-63.73%

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

Last update for Kamakura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kamakura

$304 26.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 51.9% $158

Groceries & Markets

Kamakura

$285 25.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 5.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kamakura

$168 14.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 26% $44

Eating Out

Kamakura

$120 10.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 0.7% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kamakura

$110 9.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Kamakura

$78 6.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 12.9% $10

Getting Around

Kamakura

$73 6.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 45.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $483 in Kamakura and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kamakura pays 249% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Kamakura vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

2 h behind Kamakura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,710

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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Kamakura Phuket 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kamakura
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

Kamakura vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 249% higher in Kamakura, 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: $483 in Kamakura versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $585 in Kamakura versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,138 in Kamakura versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kamakura but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kamakura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kamakura is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kamakura 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 Kamakura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.