Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kamakura

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamakura: $1,165 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
Learn more

Kamakura Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kamakura

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 Kamakura actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,165 in Kamakura.

Phuket $1,278
Kamakura $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,822 in Kamakura.

Phuket $2,216
Kamakura $1,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,478 in Kamakura.

Phuket $3,154
Kamakura $2,478

Living in Phuket is roughly 10% more expensive than in Kamakura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kamakura 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.44 ¥1,015

-30.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$31.61 ¥4,984

2.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.98 ¥785

76.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.59 ¥409

9.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.11 ¥175

-21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.74 ¥116

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.56 ¥403

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.21 ¥506

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.44 ¥228

15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.50 ¥237

-2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.70 ¥584

-59.46%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.02 ¥318

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.49 ¥1,654

81.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.92 ¥933

-44.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.54 ¥2,293

-24.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.67 ¥895

-48.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.71 ¥428

-37.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.82 ¥444

-20.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.16 ¥656

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.63 ¥415

-42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.57 ¥405

-46.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.13 ¥178

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.82 ¥129

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.74 ¥589

12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.52 ¥1,027

188.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.83 ¥289

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.09 ¥330

35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.50 ¥237

-3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$53.1 ¥8,379

6.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.15 ¥496

-4.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.63 ¥414

-61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$15.63 ¥2,465

-76.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.11 ¥176

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.9K ¥3.4M

22.48%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

77.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$115 ¥18.2K

-16.57%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.20 ¥3,658

-51.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.50 ¥4,966

-46.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$51.6 ¥8,141

30.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.92 ¥2,037

-41.95%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$695 ¥109.6K

-31.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

-23.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$51.2 ¥8,068

21.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$35.94 ¥5,668

-20.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$60.3 ¥9,502

56.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$97.3 ¥15.3K

-11.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$559 ¥88.2K

27.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$321 ¥50.5K

53.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,094 ¥172.5K

76.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$650 ¥102.4K

120.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,071 ¥641.9K

2.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,427 ¥382.6K

25.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,810 ¥285.3K

-72.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.02

175.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kamakura: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kamakura

$321 27.5% 34.7% $170

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kamakura

$288 24.7% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kamakura

$170 14.6% 36.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kamakura

$110 9.5% 9.7% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kamakura

$124 10.7% 2% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kamakura

$77 6.7% 5.8% $4.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kamakura

$75 6.5% 6.9% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $559 in Kamakura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kamakura pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $32 in Kamakura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $288 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

21:12 9:12 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

172,710

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kamakura 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kamakura

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 Kamakura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kamakura is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $559 in Kamakura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $695 in Kamakura. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kamakura runs roughly 6% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Kamakura gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Phuket and Kamakura are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.