Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Phuket $1,278
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Phuket $2,216
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Phuket $3,154
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Phuket is roughly 19% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kawagoe 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.33 ¥1,000

-29.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$41.23 ¥6,507

-21.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.95 ¥782

77.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.50 ¥552

-19.14%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.92 ¥145

-5.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.52 ¥82.6

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.91 ¥301

34.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.74 ¥432

34.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.15 ¥182

44.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.28 ¥202

14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$3.67 ¥579

-59.13%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.08 ¥328

0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.34 ¥1,001

200.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.90 ¥932

-44.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.16 ¥2,236

-22.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$5.82 ¥918

-49.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.34 ¥369

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.88 ¥455

-21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.12 ¥492

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.54 ¥401

-40.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.85 ¥292

-25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.27 ¥201

-15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.76 ¥120

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.83 ¥604

9.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$4.65 ¥734

304.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.81 ¥286

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.03 ¥320

39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.97 ¥469

-51.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$52.8 ¥8,338

7.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.11 ¥491

-2.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.63 ¥415

-61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$20.31 ¥3,205

-81.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.06 ¥168

38.68%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$15.6K ¥2.5M

71.45%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

107.90%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$133 ¥21.0K

-27.52%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.18 ¥3,500

-49.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$31.10 ¥4,909

-45.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$43.19 ¥6,817

55.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$30.97 ¥4,888

-65.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.95 ¥1,729

-31.51%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$320 ¥50.6K

48.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$6,292 ¥993.1K

79.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$31.66 ¥4,997

96.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$33.72 ¥5,323

-15.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$43.55 ¥6,874

116.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$93.2 ¥14.7K

-7.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$407 ¥64.2K

75.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$267 ¥42.1K

84.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$862 ¥136.1K

123.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$605 ¥95.5K

136.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,474 ¥390.5K

68.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,772 ¥279.6K

71.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,597 ¥252.0K

-68.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.6

248.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 45.7% $224

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 3.7% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 49.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 25.4% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 5.4% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 20.8% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 14.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kawagoe pays about 3.2 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 $41 in Kawagoe. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $257, with Kawagoe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

350,745

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Kawagoe 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kawagoe

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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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 $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Kawagoe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,075 in Kawagoe – Kawagoe is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.