Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kitakyushu and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Kitakyushu and in Phuket: $1,250 and $1,278 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
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Kitakyushu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,250

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Kitakyushu vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,250
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,923 per month in Kitakyushu vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,923
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Kitakyushu vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kitakyushu $2,596
Phuket $3,154

Kitakyushu and Phuket have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Kitakyushu and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kitakyushu 8% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 ¥1,108

$4.47 ฿151

57.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.97 ¥5,198

$32.41 ฿1,094

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 ¥855

$8.81 ฿297

-38.37%

Cappuccino

$3.40 ¥536

$2.83 ฿95.4

20.14%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$0.87 ฿29.42

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.49 ฿16.66

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ¥479

$2.56 ฿86.3

18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥343

$3.68 ฿124

-40.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ¥224

$1.66 ฿56.0

-14.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.46 ฿49.32

-12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 ¥834

$1.50 ฿50.5

252.67%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥347

$2.09 ฿70.5

5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,485

$19.07 ฿643

-50.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 ¥828

$3.30 ฿111

59.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 ¥2,973

$10.91 ฿368

72.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$2.93 ฿98.9

22.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.69 ฿57.0

11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ¥440

$2.25 ฿75.8

24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 ¥453

$2.08 ฿70.1

37.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥351

$1.51 ฿51.0

47.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.38 ฿46.54

91.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.07 ฿35.97

-1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.52 ฿17.51

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ¥639

$4.20 ฿142

-3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 ¥983

$18.79 ฿634

-66.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.82 ฿61.5

-9.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥270

$2.84 ฿95.9

-39.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 ¥256

$1.45 ฿49.00

11.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 ¥8,950

$56.7 ฿1,912

0.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥627

$3.02 ฿102

31.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 ¥322

$1.02 ฿34.34

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.83 ¥2,811

$3.69 ฿125

383.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.47 ฿49.78

-28.57%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-24.32%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-42.36%

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

$196 ¥31.0K

$96.4 ฿3,252

103.93%

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

$25.10 ¥3,959

$11.26 ฿380

122.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.21 ¥5,079

$16.85 ฿569

91.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,220

$67.2 ฿2,269

-22.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥508

$10.73 ฿362

-69.99%

Cinema Ticket

$12.65 ¥1,995

$7.50 ฿253

68.67%

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

$379 ¥59.7K

$476 ฿16.1K

-20.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

9.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.55 ¥7,656

$62.4 ฿2,105

-22.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.37 ¥4,158

$28.41 ฿959

-7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 ¥10.6K

$94.3 ฿3,182

-28.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ¥8,784

$85.8 ฿2,896

-35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 ¥87.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

-22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ¥53.2K

$491 ฿16.6K

-31.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 ¥158.5K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-47.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-50.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,304 ¥678.7K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

3.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,319 ¥365.6K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-23.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,533 ¥241.8K

$502 ฿17.0K

205.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.69

5.57

-69.66%

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

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kitakyushu

$338 27%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 45.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Kitakyushu

$275 22%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.1% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kitakyushu

$254 20.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 51% $129

Eating Out

Kitakyushu

$140 11.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Kitakyushu

$89 7.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 37% $33

Getting Around

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 8.8% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 6.2% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $555 in Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Kitakyushu versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

2 h behind Kitakyushu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,029

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Kitakyushu Phuket 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kitakyushu
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

Kitakyushu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,875 per month in Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $555 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $379 per month in Kitakyushu and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,250 in Kitakyushu and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kitakyushu costs $1,250 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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