Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Kyoto and in Phuket: $1,290 and $1,278 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,290 per month in Kyoto vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kyoto $1,290
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,932 per month in Kyoto vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kyoto $1,932
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,574 per month in Kyoto vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kyoto $2,574
Phuket $3,154

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

Both Kyoto and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kyoto 5% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.77 ¥1,542

$4.47 ฿151

118.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.34 ¥5,106

$32.41 ฿1,094

-0.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥807

$8.81 ฿297

-42.00%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$2.83 ฿95.5

13.78%

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

$0.89 ¥141

$0.87 ฿29.43

2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.49 ฿16.67

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$2.56 ฿86.4

25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ¥924

$3.68 ฿124

58.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.66 ฿56.0

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥254

$1.46 ฿49.35

10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 ¥923

$1.50 ฿50.6

289.33%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$2.09 ฿70.5

0.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 ¥1,395

$19.07 ฿644

-53.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 ¥1,251

$3.30 ฿111

140.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,690

$10.91 ฿368

-1.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 ¥819

$2.93 ฿99.0

77.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ¥374

$1.69 ฿57.1

40.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥813

$2.25 ฿75.8

128.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 ¥582

$2.08 ฿70.1

77.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.51 ฿51.0

23.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$1.38 ฿46.56

20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.07 ฿35.99

6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.52 ฿17.52

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥639

$4.20 ฿142

-3.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ¥1,221

$18.79 ฿634

-58.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.82 ฿61.5

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ¥531

$2.84 ฿95.9

18.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥225

$1.45 ฿49.03

-2.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,804

$56.7 ฿1,913

9.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ¥520

$3.02 ฿102

9.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.88 ¥612

$1.02 ฿34.36

280.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.47 ฿49.81

-25.17%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-15.16%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-41.96%

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

$101 ¥16.0K

$96.4 ฿3,254

4.98%

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

$23.51 ¥3,712

$11.26 ฿380

108.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 ¥4,801

$16.85 ฿569

80.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,145

$67.2 ฿2,270

-23.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.87 ¥2,980

$10.73 ฿362

75.86%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 ¥2,166

$7.50 ฿253

82.93%

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

$718 ¥113.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

50.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,490 ¥1.0M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-42.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ¥8,956

$62.4 ฿2,106

-9.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 ¥7,116

$28.41 ฿959

58.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ¥11.1K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-25.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$85.8 ฿2,898

19.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

-10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥59.9K

$491 ฿16.6K

-22.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 ¥185.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-38.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 ¥91.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-59.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.2K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

1.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 ¥461.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-4.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 ¥295.6K

$502 ฿17.0K

272.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

5.57

-59.96%

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

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kyoto

$379 29.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 29.4% $112

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$296 22.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 10% $30

Eating Out

Kyoto

$166 12.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$155 12%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 19.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$123 9.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.3% $1.6

Getting Around

Kyoto

$90 7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 22% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$79 6.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $638 in Kyoto 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 Kyoto are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Kyoto versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $296 in Kyoto vs $266 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

2 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Kyoto Phuket 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

Kyoto vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,934 per month in Kyoto 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 Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $718 per month in Kyoto and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Kyoto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,290 in Kyoto and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,290 in Kyoto. 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, Kyoto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.