Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kawasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,473 in Kawasaki, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
Learn more

Kawasaki Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kawasaki

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,473 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Kawasaki $1,473

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,239 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Kawasaki $2,239

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,006 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Kawasaki $3,006

Phuket is about 12% cheaper than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Kawasaki is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$7.62 ¥1,200

-42.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$37.55 ¥5,914

-13.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$4.96 ¥781

75.40%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$2.60 ¥410

4.62%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.69 ¥266

-44.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.92 ¥146

-45.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$3.12 ¥491

-18.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.23 ¥509

12.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.49 ¥235

16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.48 ¥233

-2.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$4.38 ¥690

-65.75%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.13 ¥335

1.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$11.41 ¥1,796

67.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.69 ¥1,054

-49.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$16.69 ¥2,629

-34.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$4.94 ¥779

-40.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$2.82 ¥445

-40.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$4.94 ¥778

-55.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$5.10 ¥803

-58.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$3.16 ¥497

-53.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$3.24 ¥510

-57.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.19 ¥188

-9.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.84 ¥132

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.83 ¥603

15.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$9.22 ¥1,452

97.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$2.28 ¥359

-22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.76 ¥435

4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.87 ¥295

-22.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$51.6 ¥8,118

6.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.08 ¥485

-50.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$3.16 ¥498

-75.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$19.32 ¥3,043

-80.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.05 ¥166

41.90%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

23.10%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

76.47%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$127 ¥20.0K

-22.93%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$23.96 ¥3,774

-52.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$31.45 ¥4,953

-45.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$54.8 ¥8,630

24.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$6.38 ¥1,004

71.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$12.63 ¥1,990

-41.17%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$728 ¥114.7K

-27.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$22.1K ¥3.5M

-15.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$53.1 ¥8,363

16.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$33.24 ¥5,235

-15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$66.1 ¥10.4K

45.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$72.9 ¥11.5K

19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$766 ¥120.6K

-5.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$565 ¥89.0K

-9.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$1,264 ¥199.1K

54.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$1,019 ¥160.5K

37.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$4,741 ¥746.7K

-11.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$3,255 ¥512.6K

1.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$2,542 ¥400.4K

-80.66%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kawasaki: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kawasaki

$565 38.4% 11% $56

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kawasaki

$327 22.2% 22.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kawasaki

$182 12.4% 44.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kawasaki

$101 6.9% 17.4% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kawasaki

$140 9.5% 16.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kawasaki

$80 5.4% 3.8% $3.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kawasaki

$78 5.3% 17.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $766 in Kawasaki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kawasaki are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $38 in Kawasaki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $327 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,538,262

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.65 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kawasaki 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kawasaki

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 Kawasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kawasaki costs about 14% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,209 in Kawasaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $721 in Phuket and $766 in Kawasaki. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $38 in Kawasaki. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,473 in Kawasaki. That makes Phuket about 12% cheaper.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,294 versus $1,473 in Kawasaki. 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, Kawasaki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.