Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,476 in Kawasaki, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,476

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,476 per month in Kawasaki vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,476
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,239 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,239
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,003 per month in Kawasaki vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,003
Phuket $3,154

Kawasaki costs about 15% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kawasaki sits 8% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 ¥1,171

$4.47 ฿151

66.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.97 ¥5,981

$32.41 ฿1,093

17.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥785

$8.81 ฿297

-43.36%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ¥407

$2.83 ฿95.4

-8.48%

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

$1.57 ¥248

$0.87 ฿29.41

80.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥144

$0.49 ฿16.65

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ¥508

$2.56 ฿86.3

26.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥493

$3.68 ฿124

-14.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.66 ฿55.9

-9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$1.46 ฿49.31

6.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ¥663

$1.50 ฿50.5

180.67%

Eggs

$2.15 ¥339

$2.09 ฿70.5

2.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 ¥1,802

$19.07 ฿643

-40.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 ¥1,058

$3.30 ฿111

103.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 ¥2,585

$10.91 ฿368

50.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.02 ¥949

$2.93 ฿98.9

105.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ¥449

$1.69 ฿57.0

68.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 ¥785

$2.25 ฿75.8

121.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥816

$2.08 ฿70.0

149.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ¥535

$1.51 ฿51.0

125.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ¥486

$1.38 ฿46.52

123.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.07 ฿35.96

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$0.52 ฿17.51

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥625

$4.20 ฿142

-5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,463

$18.79 ฿634

-50.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.82 ฿61.5

31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ¥417

$2.84 ฿95.8

-6.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.45 ฿48.98

32.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 ¥7,948

$56.7 ฿1,912

-10.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ¥488

$3.02 ฿102

2.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥504

$1.02 ฿34.33

213.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.58 ¥2,926

$3.69 ฿125

403.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.47 ฿49.76

-27.21%

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

$22.1K ¥3.5M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-17.41%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-42.47%

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

$129 ¥20.2K

$96.4 ฿3,251

33.39%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$11.26 ฿380

104.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 ¥4,908

$16.85 ฿568

84.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ¥8,790

$67.2 ฿2,268

-17.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 ¥1,019

$10.73 ฿362

-39.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 ¥1,989

$7.50 ฿253

68.27%

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

$695 ¥109.5K

$476 ฿16.1K

46.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

32.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ¥8,065

$62.4 ฿2,104

-17.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 ¥5,217

$28.41 ฿958

16.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 ¥10.5K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-29.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 ¥11.1K

$85.8 ฿2,895

-17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥121.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ¥201.7K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-33.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ¥158.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-29.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,670 ¥735.7K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

11.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,220 ¥507.3K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

5.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,608 ¥410.7K

$502 ฿16.9K

419.15%

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 Kawasaki: 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

Kawasaki

$565 38.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 13.1% $74

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$333 22.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 20% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$183 12.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 31.9% $58

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$138 9.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$99 6.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 22.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$81 5.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 1.5% $1.2

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 8.7% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kawasaki versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

2 h behind Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kawasaki Phuket 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawasaki
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

Kawasaki vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kawasaki costs about 15% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,214 per month in Kawasaki and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $771 in Kawasaki and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kawasaki and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,476 in Kawasaki and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 13% cheaper.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,476 in Kawasaki. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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