Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocho Rios and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ocho Rios and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ocho Rios and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ocho Rios $1,089
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,565 in Ocho Rios versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ocho Rios $1,565
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,040 in Ocho Rios versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ocho Rios $2,040
Phuket $2,867

Living in Ocho Rios costs roughly 10% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ocho Rios 19% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.32 JMD 1,473

$4.58 ฿153

103.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

$32.48 ฿1,086

95.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 JMD 1,063

$8.55 ฿286

-21.29%

Cappuccino

$3.07 JMD 486

$2.72 ฿91.0

12.87%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$0.94 ฿31.25

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 JMD 107

$0.49 ฿16.39

36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 JMD 350

$2.59 ฿86.6

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 486

$3.83 ฿128

-19.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.94 JMD 623

$1.74 ฿58.1

126.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 JMD 439

$1.43 ฿47.82

94.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 255

$1.53 ฿51.0

5.23%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 566

$2.17 ฿72.7

64.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 JMD 1,813

$19.15 ฿640

-40.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 JMD 978

$3.30 ฿110

87.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 JMD 1,602

$11.14 ฿372

-8.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.86 JMD 926

$2.95 ฿98.5

98.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 JMD 493

$1.68 ฿56.1

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 JMD 1,015

$2.30 ฿76.8

179.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 385

$2.13 ฿71.3

14.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 518

$1.53 ฿51.1

114.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 JMD 401

$1.36 ฿45.55

86.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 JMD 451

$1.12 ฿37.44

154.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 JMD 221

$0.55 ฿18.24

154.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 JMD 1,349

$4.26 ฿142

100.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.25 JMD 1,462

$18.19 ฿608

-49.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 454

$1.74 ฿58.2

65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 JMD 609

$2.79 ฿93.3

38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 JMD 151

$2.22 ฿74.1

-57.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 193

$2.91 ฿97.3

-58.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$1.01 ฿33.79

218.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 JMD 1,000

$3.83 ฿128

65.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 JMD 227

$1.49 ฿49.85

-4.03%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

63.74%

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

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

23.76%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$99.4 ฿3,321

69.81%

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

$19.74 JMD 3,118

$11.28 ฿377

75.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 JMD 8,471

$17.36 ฿580

208.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 JMD 1,812

$7.57 ฿253

51.52%

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

$358 JMD 56.6K

$558 ฿18.7K

-35.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-29.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,696

$62.9 ฿2,102

-62.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.00 JMD 4,897

$28.58 ฿955

8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-20.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$88.1 ฿2,943

17.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 JMD 59.7K

$729 ฿24.4K

-48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 JMD 29.7K

$460 ฿15.4K

-59.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 24.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 47.1% $114

Accommodation & Living

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 144% $272

Eating Out

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 22.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 17.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 194% $44

Getting Around

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 84.1% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $378 in Ocho Rios and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Ocho Rios vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

07:55 7:55 AM

12 h ahead of Ocho Rios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,503

79,308

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ocho Rios Phuket 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ocho Rios
Phuket

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

Ocho Rios vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ocho Rios is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,634 in Ocho Rios and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $378 in Ocho Rios versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $358 in Ocho Rios versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ocho Rios – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ocho Rios is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ocho Rios and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ocho Rios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.