Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kanazawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,277 in Kanazawa, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Kanazawa despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
Learn more

Kanazawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kanazawa

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,277 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Kanazawa $1,277

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,031 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Kanazawa $2,031

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,786 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Kanazawa $2,786

Phuket is about 5% cheaper than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kanazawa are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Kanazawa 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.64 ¥1,206

-42.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.61 ¥4,994

2.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.73 ¥747

85.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.26 ¥358

25.22%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.14 ¥180

-21.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.58 ¥91.2

-18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.03 ¥320

25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.33 ¥368

64.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.55 ¥245

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.32 ¥208

11.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$5.30 ¥837

-71.51%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.07 ¥327

4.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.52 ¥1,978

57.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.41 ¥1,487

-64.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$31.96 ¥5,049

-65.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.62 ¥572

-21.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.28 ¥360

-25.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$6.48 ¥1,024

-66.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.14 ¥655

-50.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.73 ¥589

-61.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.42 ¥540

-59.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.28 ¥201

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.03 ¥163

-50.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.55 ¥561

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.40 ¥1,327

121.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.96 ¥310

-9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.52 ¥239

87.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.49 ¥236

51.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$54.4 ¥8,598

-59.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.11 ¥491

-3.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$3.22 ¥508

-67.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$26.21 ¥4,140

-85.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.11 ¥175

30.63%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

29.60%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$16.4K ¥2.6M

64.09%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$148 ¥23.3K

-34.76%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$24.34 ¥3,845

-54.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$43.30 ¥6,840

-60.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$42.68 ¥6,743

22.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.47 ¥1,812

-31.91%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$320 ¥50.6K

73.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,140 ¥970.0K

88.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.59 ¥7,834

29.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$25.27 ¥3,993

13.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$45.94 ¥7,258

107.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$64.9 ¥10.3K

35.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$539 ¥85.1K

36.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$327 ¥51.6K

41.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,100 ¥173.7K

90.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$749 ¥118.3K

60.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,294 ¥678.4K

-18.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,742 ¥275.3K

44.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,857 ¥293.4K

-73.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.28

144.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Kanazawa

$327 25.6% 29.4% $136

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Kanazawa

$382 29.9% 42.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Kanazawa

$215 16.9% 72.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kanazawa

$84 6.5% 32.8% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Kanazawa

$124 9.7% 2.4% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Kanazawa

$66 5.1% 3.2% $2.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kanazawa

$80 6.2% 102% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $539 in Kanazawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 271% higher in Kanazawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $32.00 in Kanazawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $382 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

465,699

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kanazawa 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kanazawa

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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $1,277 in Kanazawa – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,916 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $1,277 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 146% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Kanazawa at $1,277. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kanazawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,277 in Kanazawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kanazawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.