Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kyoto

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Kyoto: $1,278 and $1,290 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kyoto

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,290 in Kyoto, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kyoto $1,290

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,932 in Kyoto, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kyoto $1,932

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,574 in Kyoto, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kyoto $2,574

Phuket and Kyoto have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Phuket and Kyoto are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kyoto 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.77 ¥1,542

-54.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$32.34 ¥5,106

0.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.11 ¥807

72.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.22 ¥508

-12.11%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.89 ¥141

-2.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.71 ¥112

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.22 ¥509

-20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.85 ¥924

-37.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 ¥245

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.61 ¥254

-9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.84 ¥923

-74.32%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.11 ¥333

-0.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.84 ¥1,395

115.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.92 ¥1,251

-58.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.70 ¥1,690

1.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.19 ¥819

-43.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.37 ¥374

-28.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.15 ¥813

-56.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.69 ¥582

-43.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.87 ¥295

-19.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.66 ¥262

-16.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.14 ¥180

-6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.94 ¥148

-44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.04 ¥639

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.73 ¥1,221

143.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.61 ¥255

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.37 ¥531

-15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.42 ¥225

2.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$62.1 ¥9,804

-8.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.30 ¥520

-8.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.88 ¥612

-73.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.10 ¥174

33.64%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$22.7K ¥3.6M

17.87%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

72.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$101 ¥16.0K

-4.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.51 ¥3,712

-52.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.41 ¥4,801

-44.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$51.6 ¥8,145

30.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.87 ¥2,980

-43.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.72 ¥2,166

-45.34%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$718 ¥113.4K

-33.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,490 ¥1.0M

73.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$56.7 ¥8,956

9.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$45.07 ¥7,116

-36.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$70.3 ¥11.1K

34.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$102 ¥16.1K

-16.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$638 ¥100.7K

12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$379 ¥59.9K

29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,176 ¥185.6K

63.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$577 ¥91.1K

147.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,226 ¥667.2K

-1.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,921 ¥461.2K

4.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,873 ¥295.6K

-73.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.23

149.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kyoto

$379 29.4% 22.7% $112

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kyoto

$296 22.9% 11.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kyoto

$155 12% 24.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kyoto

$123 9.6% 1.3% $1.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kyoto

$166 12.9% 36.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kyoto

$79 6.1% 3.9% $3.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kyoto

$90 7% 28.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $638 in Kyoto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kyoto are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $32 in Kyoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $296 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,475,183

💱 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 Kyoto 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kyoto

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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,934 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $718 in Kyoto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Kyoto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,290 in Kyoto, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,290 in Kyoto. 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, Kyoto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.