Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kagoshima

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,135 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kagoshima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Kagoshima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,135 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kagoshima $1,135

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,887 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kagoshima $1,887

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,639 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kagoshima $2,639

Phuket costs about 13% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Phuket and Kagoshima are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kagoshima 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.39 ¥1,007

-30.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$33.97 ¥5,356

-4.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.34 ¥842

64.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.97 ¥469

-4.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.04 ¥165

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.75 ¥118

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.50 ¥395

2.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.21 ¥348

66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.31 ¥207

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.15 ¥182

26.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.15 ¥812

-70.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.05 ¥324

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$17.94 ¥2,829

6.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.29 ¥834

-37.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.77 ¥2,960

-41.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.71 ¥585

-21.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.86 ¥293

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.83 ¥446

-20.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.43 ¥542

-39.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.09 ¥329

-27.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.88 ¥296

-26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.03 ¥163

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.80 ¥126

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.85 ¥607

9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.20 ¥978

203.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.21 ¥191

50.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.84 ¥291

54.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.25 ¥196

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$56.7 ¥8,936

-0.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.12 ¥649

-26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.34 ¥370

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$11.30 ¥1,782

-67.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.11 ¥175

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$22.6K ¥3.6M

18.58%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

74.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$188 ¥29.6K

-48.67%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.69 ¥3,894

-54.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.51 ¥4,969

-46.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$52.1 ¥8,216

29.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.96 ¥1,886

-37.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$703 ¥110.9K

-32.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$12.4K ¥1.9M

-8.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$48.66 ¥7,673

28.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.33 ¥4,151

7.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$65.4 ¥10.3K

44.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$76.3 ¥12.0K

12.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$550 ¥86.7K

30.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$219 ¥34.5K

124.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$957 ¥151.0K

101.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$730 ¥115.2K

95.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,461 ¥703.4K

-6.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,528 ¥398.7K

20.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,861 ¥293.4K

-73.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.97

182.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kagoshima: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kagoshima

$219 19.3% 55.4% $272

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kagoshima

$294 25.9% 10.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kagoshima

$244 21.5% 96% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kagoshima

$98 8.6% 20% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kagoshima

$127 11.2% 4.3% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kagoshima

$76 6.7% 7.6% $6.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kagoshima

$77 6.8% 9.8% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $550 in Kagoshima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kagoshima are about 3.7 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $34 in Kagoshima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $294 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

593,128

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Kagoshima 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Phuket
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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

Phuket vs Kagoshima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 13% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,702 in Kagoshima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kagoshima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $34 in Kagoshima. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,135 in Kagoshima. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,135 in Kagoshima to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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