Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,283 in Kumamoto, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. The total is higher in Kumamoto despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Kumamoto $1,283
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,977 in Kumamoto versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Kumamoto $1,977
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Kumamoto versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Kumamoto $2,670
Phuket $2,845

Living in Kumamoto is roughly 6% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kumamoto 5% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 ¥1,126

$4.40 ฿147

62.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,034

$32.26 ฿1,078

-1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 ¥942

$8.76 ฿293

-31.96%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$2.83 ฿94.5

13.78%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.90 ฿30.14

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.47 ฿15.56

48.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ¥591

$2.55 ฿85.2

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥357

$3.83 ฿128

-40.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.73 ฿57.7

-21.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ¥299

$1.47 ฿49.11

29.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$1.51 ฿50.6

339.74%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥294

$2.17 ฿72.7

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.81 ¥2,814

$19.70 ฿658

-9.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$3.34 ฿112

63.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 ¥2,981

$11.16 ฿373

69.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 ¥587

$2.85 ฿95.1

30.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥294

$1.70 ฿56.9

9.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$2.19 ฿73.3

26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥530

$2.05 ฿68.4

63.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$1.45 ฿48.57

48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.38 ฿46.16

89.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥164

$1.07 ฿35.69

-2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$0.51 ฿16.91

78.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$4.26 ฿142

-7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 ¥887

$18.58 ฿621

-69.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥268

$1.78 ฿59.7

-4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥290

$2.85 ฿95.2

-35.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$2.26 ฿75.6

-33.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,291

$22.10 ฿738

137.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ¥606

$3.01 ฿101

27.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ¥317

$1.06 ฿35.34

88.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.05 ¥2,852

$3.86 ฿129

367.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 ฿48.45

-26.90%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-16.44%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-34.80%

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

$210 ¥33.2K

$96.4 ฿3,221

118.32%

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

$24.28 ¥3,835

$11.04 ฿369

119.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$17.14 ฿573

94.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,359

$52.2 ฿1,744

1.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ¥1,729

$7.81 ฿261

40.20%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$556 ฿18.6K

-77.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

6.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.56 ¥7,672

$64.2 ฿2,146

-24.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.99 ¥4,106

$28.69 ฿959

-9.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 ¥10.3K

$95.4 ฿3,187

-31.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.20 ¥7,457

$88.0 ฿2,940

-46.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.4K

$737 ฿24.6K

-26.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$462 ฿15.5K

-29.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ¥176.8K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-46.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.2K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-39.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 ¥656.8K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

19.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 ¥274.1K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-31.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.57

-64.63%

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

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$328 25.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 40.9% $134

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$312 24.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 13.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$268 20.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 53.5% $143

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 15.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 47.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$75 5.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 9.4% $7

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$72 5.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 45.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $541 in Kumamoto and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kumamoto vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $269, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

2 h behind Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Kumamoto Phuket 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
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

Kumamoto vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kumamoto and Phuket differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,283 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,924 in Kumamoto and $1,813 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $541 in Kumamoto versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 137% less than in Kumamoto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Kumamoto versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,283 in Kumamoto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kumamoto. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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