Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,277 in Kanazawa, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Kanazawa despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,277 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Kanazawa $1,277
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,031
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,786 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,786
Phuket $2,845

Kanazawa costs about 6% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kanazawa and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kanazawa 6% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,206

$4.40 ฿147

73.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.61 ¥4,994

$32.26 ฿1,078

-2.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 ¥747

$8.76 ฿293

-46.00%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ¥358

$2.83 ฿94.5

-20.14%

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

$1.14 ¥180

$0.90 ฿30.14

26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥91.2

$0.47 ฿15.56

23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ¥320

$2.55 ฿85.2

-20.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ¥368

$3.83 ฿128

-39.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.73 ฿57.7

-10.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ¥208

$1.47 ฿49.11

-10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 ¥837

$1.51 ฿50.6

250.99%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥327

$2.17 ฿72.7

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ¥1,978

$19.70 ฿658

-36.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 ¥1,487

$3.34 ฿112

181.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.96 ¥5,049

$11.16 ฿373

186.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$2.85 ฿95.1

27.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$1.70 ฿56.9

34.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$2.19 ฿73.3

195.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥655

$2.05 ฿68.4

101.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$1.45 ฿48.57

157.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 ¥540

$1.38 ฿46.16

147.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.07 ฿35.69

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥163

$0.51 ฿16.91

101.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ¥561

$4.26 ฿142

-16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 ¥1,327

$18.58 ฿621

-54.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.78 ฿59.7

10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥239

$2.85 ฿95.2

-46.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$2.26 ฿75.6

-34.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 ¥8,598

$22.10 ฿738

146.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.01 ฿101

3.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 ¥508

$1.06 ฿35.34

203.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 ¥4,140

$3.86 ฿129

579.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.45 ฿48.45

-23.45%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-22.84%

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

$16.4K ¥2.6M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-39.06%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$96.4 ฿3,221

53.28%

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

$24.34 ¥3,845

$11.04 ฿369

120.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.30 ¥6,840

$17.14 ฿573

152.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.68 ¥6,743

$52.2 ฿1,744

-18.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 ¥1,812

$7.81 ฿261

46.86%

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

$320 ¥50.6K

$556 ฿18.6K

-42.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,140 ¥970.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-46.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 ¥7,834

$64.2 ฿2,146

-22.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.27 ¥3,993

$28.69 ฿959

-11.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.94 ¥7,258

$95.4 ฿3,187

-51.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.9 ¥10.3K

$88.0 ฿2,940

-26.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥85.1K

$737 ฿24.6K

-26.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.6K

$462 ฿15.5K

-29.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.7K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-47.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ¥118.3K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-37.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,294 ¥678.4K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

23.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,742 ¥275.3K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-30.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥293.4K

$501 ฿16.7K

270.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

5.57

-59.07%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanazawa

$382 29.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.7% $114

Accommodation & Living

Kanazawa

$327 25.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 41.6% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanazawa

$215 16.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 42.2% $91

Eating Out

Kanazawa

$124 9.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 2.3% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kanazawa

$84 6.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 48.8% $41

Getting Around

Kanazawa

$80 6.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 50.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Kanazawa

$66 5.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 3.3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Kanazawa versus $737 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 run about 271% higher in Kanazawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kanazawa versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Kanazawa vs $269 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

2 h behind Kanazawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

465,699

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 →

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Between locations

Kanazawa Phuket 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kanazawa
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

Kanazawa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,277 in Kanazawa, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,916 per month in Kanazawa and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,277 in Kanazawa and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 146% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Kanazawa at $1,277. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kanazawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,277 in Kanazawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kanazawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.