Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $986 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kurume

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $986 in Kurume.

Phuket $1,278
Kurume $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,555 in Kurume.

Phuket $2,216
Kurume $1,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,124 in Kurume.

Phuket $3,154
Kurume $2,124

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kurume 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.30 ¥679

3.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$42.56 ¥6,720

-23.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.85 ¥607

128.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.88 ¥298

50.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.69 ¥108

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.53 ¥84.3

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.13 ¥494

-18.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.63 ¥257

125.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.30 ¥206

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.29 ¥203

13.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.01 ¥791

-70.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.87 ¥296

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$17.95 ¥2,834

6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.52 ¥872

-40.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$19.22 ¥3,034

-43.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.54 ¥559

-17.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.86 ¥294

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.92 ¥461

-22.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.25 ¥514

-36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.20 ¥348

-31.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.62 ¥413

-47.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.04 ¥165

2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.96 ¥152

-45.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.57 ¥564

17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.52 ¥1,030

188.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.68 ¥265

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.10 ¥174

158.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.47 ¥233

-1.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$58.0 ¥9,163

-2.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.15 ¥655

-27.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.31 ¥365

-55.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$17.66 ¥2,788

-79.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.65 ¥103

126.15%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.6K ¥3.6M

18.64%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

75.05%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$215 ¥34.0K

-55.25%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.93 ¥3,937

-54.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$22.65 ¥3,576

-25.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$55.8 ¥8,806

20.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.91 ¥1,091

8.54%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$695 ¥109.7K

-31.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

-9.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$48.99 ¥7,735

27.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$12.62 ¥1,992

125.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$25.10 ¥3,962

275.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$31.59 ¥4,987

171.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$549 ¥86.7K

30.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$127 ¥20.1K

285.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$485 ¥76.6K

297.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$318 ¥50.2K

349.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,977 ¥627.8K

5.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,146 ¥338.9K

41.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,510 ¥238.4K

-66.73%

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 Kurume: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kurume

$127 12.9% 74.1% $364

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kurume

$301 30.5% 12.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kurume

$263 26.7% 111% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kurume

$53 5.4% 56.3% $69

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kurume

$92 9.4% 24.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kurume

$70 7.1% 15.4% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kurume

$80 8.1% 12.9% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $549 in Kurume. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kurume pays about 3 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 $43 in Kurume for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $301 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

303,316

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kurume 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kurume

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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $986 in Kurume, so Kurume is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $549 in Kurume. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Kurume. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $986 in Kurume versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.