Cost of Living Comparison Between Oita and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Oita and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,140 in Oita versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,739 in Oita versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,339 in Oita versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Oita costs roughly 9% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Oita 15% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.70 ¥926

$4.55 ฿153

25.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.49 ¥6,741

$46.18 ฿1,553

-10.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.99 ¥973

$8.84 ฿297

-32.24%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ¥328

$3.06 ฿103

-33.99%

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

$1.09 ¥177

$0.73 ฿24.40

49.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥116

$0.40 ฿13.39

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 ¥562

$2.43 ฿81.8

42.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥502

$3.78 ฿127

-18.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥206

$2.26 ฿76.0

-43.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥216

$1.81 ฿60.9

-26.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 ¥669

$2.25 ฿75.8

83.11%

Eggs

$2.57 ¥418

$2.25 ฿75.5

14.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.73 ¥931

$19.51 ฿656

-70.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.09 ¥990

$3.65 ฿123

66.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 ¥1,869

$13.05 ฿439

-11.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.36 ¥871

$3.23 ฿109

65.94%

Banana (1kg)

$4.95 ¥803

$1.62 ฿54.4

205.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 ¥861

$2.38 ฿80.1

122.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 ¥368

$2.03 ฿68.1

11.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥229

$1.53 ฿51.6

-7.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 ¥229

$1.50 ฿50.5

-6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ¥201

$0.98 ฿32.91

25.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥131

$0.52 ฿17.39

55.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥617

$4.44 ฿149

-14.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 ¥994

$18.32 ฿616

-66.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ¥334

$1.86 ฿62.7

10.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥341

$2.68 ฿90.1

-21.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 ¥207

$1.41 ฿47.46

-9.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.22 ¥5,559

$11.70 ฿393

192.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ¥547

$3.11 ฿105

8.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ¥319

$1.04 ฿35.06

89.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.35 ¥3,144

$14.11 ฿474

37.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥197

$1.31 ฿44.10

-6.87%

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

$23.1K ¥3.7M

$27.8K ฿935.4K

-17.07%

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

$14.5K ¥2.4M

$33.2K ฿1.1M

-56.23%

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

$81.2 ¥13.2K

$122 ฿4,118

-33.71%

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

$27.71 ¥4,502

$13.59 ฿457

103.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.15 ¥3,598

$18.70 ฿629

18.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ¥9,060

$60.5 ฿2,034

-7.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.81 ¥1,107

$16.98 ฿571

-59.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.21 ¥1,659

$9.07 ฿305

12.57%

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

$414 ¥67.2K

$706 ฿23.8K

-41.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K ¥2.2M

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-15.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.05 ¥6,506

$58.6 ฿1,969

-31.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.65 ¥4,818

$35.36 ฿1,189

-16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 ¥10.9K

$115 ฿3,883

-41.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 ¥15.1K

$83.7 ฿2,816

11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥76.4K

$626 ฿21.0K

-24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ¥60.5K

$445 ฿15.0K

-16.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥124.0K

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-62.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ¥91.3K

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-62.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,106 ¥667.1K

$3,483 ฿117.1K

17.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,771 ¥287.8K

$2,577 ฿86.7K

-31.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,258 ¥204.5K

$500 ฿16.8K

151.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.5

5.33

-71.86%

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

Last update for Oita: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Oita and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oita pays 152% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in Oita vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $289 per month, with Oita cheaper across the board.

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

Oita vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oita wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oita the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 152% higher in Oita, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $470 in Oita versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $414 in Oita versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,140 in Oita versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oita but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Oita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oita delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,140 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oita hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Oita 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 Oita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.