Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawagoe and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,075 in Kawagoe versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kawagoe $1,075
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,744 in Kawagoe versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kawagoe $1,744
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,413 in Kawagoe versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kawagoe $2,413
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kawagoe costs roughly 16% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kawagoe 21% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.33 ¥1,000

$4.47 ฿151

41.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.23 ¥6,507

$32.41 ฿1,092

27.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥782

$8.81 ฿297

-43.81%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ¥552

$2.83 ฿95.3

23.67%

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

$0.92 ¥145

$0.87 ฿29.37

5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥82.6

$0.49 ฿16.64

6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 ¥301

$2.56 ฿86.2

-25.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ¥432

$3.68 ฿124

-25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 ¥182

$1.66 ฿55.9

-30.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.46 ฿49.25

-12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ¥579

$1.50 ฿50.4

144.67%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$2.09 ฿70.4

-0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.34 ¥1,001

$19.07 ฿642

-66.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ¥932

$3.30 ฿111

78.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ¥2,236

$10.91 ฿368

29.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 ¥918

$2.93 ฿98.7

98.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ¥369

$1.69 ฿56.9

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$2.25 ฿75.7

28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 ¥492

$2.08 ฿70.0

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 ¥401

$1.51 ฿50.9

68.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.38 ฿46.47

34.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.07 ฿35.91

18.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.52 ฿17.49

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥604

$4.20 ฿142

-8.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.65 ¥734

$18.79 ฿633

-75.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.82 ฿61.4

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$2.84 ฿95.7

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 ¥469

$1.45 ฿48.93

104.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 ¥8,338

$56.7 ฿1,909

-6.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.02 ฿102

2.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥415

$1.02 ฿34.29

157.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.31 ¥3,205

$3.69 ฿124

450.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.47 ฿49.70

-27.89%

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

$15.6K ¥2.5M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-41.67%

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

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-51.90%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$96.4 ฿3,247

37.98%

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

$22.18 ¥3,500

$11.26 ฿380

96.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.10 ¥4,909

$16.85 ฿568

84.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.19 ¥6,817

$67.2 ฿2,266

-35.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.97 ¥4,888

$10.73 ฿361

188.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ¥1,729

$7.50 ฿253

46.00%

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

$320 ¥50.6K

$476 ฿16.0K

-32.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,292 ¥993.1K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-44.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.66 ¥4,997

$62.4 ฿2,102

-49.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.72 ¥5,323

$28.41 ฿957

18.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.55 ¥6,874

$94.3 ฿3,178

-53.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 ¥14.7K

$85.8 ฿2,892

8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.2K

$716 ฿24.1K

-43.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ¥42.1K

$491 ฿16.5K

-45.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 ¥136.1K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ¥95.5K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-57.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,474 ¥390.5K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-40.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,772 ¥279.6K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-41.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 ¥252.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

217.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.6

5.57

-71.27%

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

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawagoe

$267 24.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 84.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Kawagoe

$257 23.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.8% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawagoe

$186 17.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 33.2% $62

Eating Out

Kawagoe

$128 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.1% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Kawagoe

$91 8.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 34% $31

Getting Around

Kawagoe

$81 7.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 12.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Kawagoe

$65 6.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Kawagoe and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kawagoe pays about 3.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41 in Kawagoe vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $266, with Kawagoe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

2 h behind Kawagoe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,745

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kawagoe Phuket 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawagoe
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

Kawagoe vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,075 in Kawagoe and $1,278 in Phuket, so Kawagoe is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Kawagoe is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $407 in Kawagoe versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Kawagoe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,075 per month in Kawagoe versus $1,278 in Phuket – Kawagoe is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kawagoe gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Kawagoe and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.