Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oita and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,309 in Oita, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Oita despite lower rent and utilities.

63

Cost of Living Index in Oita
Learn more

Oita Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Oita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,309

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oita 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 Oita and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,309 in Oita versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Oita $1,309
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Oita versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Oita $2,033
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,757 in Oita versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Oita $2,757
Phuket $2,845

Living in Oita is roughly 8% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Oita 3% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.42 ¥1,172

$4.40 ฿147

68.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.27 ¥6,677

$32.26 ฿1,078

31.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 ¥934

$8.76 ฿293

-32.53%

Cappuccino

$3.74 ¥591

$2.83 ฿94.5

32.16%

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

$1.00 ¥159

$0.90 ฿30.14

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.47 ฿15.56

59.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$2.55 ฿85.2

47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ¥355

$3.83 ฿128

-41.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.73 ฿57.7

-9.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 ¥304

$1.47 ฿49.11

31.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.61 ¥1,044

$1.51 ฿50.6

337.75%

Eggs

$2.30 ¥364

$2.17 ฿72.7

5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.89 ¥2,827

$19.70 ฿658

-9.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 ¥867

$3.34 ฿112

64.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.89 ¥2,985

$11.16 ฿373

69.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 ¥565

$2.85 ฿95.1

25.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.70 ฿56.9

6.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 ¥451

$2.19 ฿73.3

30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ¥540

$2.05 ฿68.4

66.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥340

$1.45 ฿48.57

48.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.38 ฿46.16

85.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ¥163

$1.07 ฿35.69

-3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$0.51 ฿16.91

78.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$4.26 ฿142

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 ¥1,001

$18.58 ฿621

-65.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥270

$1.78 ฿59.7

-3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥292

$2.85 ฿95.2

-35.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥239

$2.26 ฿75.6

-33.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ¥8,409

$22.10 ฿738

140.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ¥617

$3.01 ฿101

29.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 ¥329

$1.06 ฿35.34

96.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.07 ¥2,855

$3.86 ฿129

368.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥167

$1.45 ฿48.45

-27.59%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-16.90%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-34.63%

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

$214 ¥33.9K

$96.4 ฿3,221

122.42%

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

$24.34 ¥3,846

$11.04 ฿369

120.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.96 ¥5,365

$17.14 ฿573

98.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,104

$52.2 ฿1,744

-1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$7.81 ฿261

42.38%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$556 ฿18.6K

-77.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

6.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.06 ¥7,751

$64.2 ฿2,146

-23.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.11 ¥4,126

$28.69 ฿959

-8.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.0 ¥10.3K

$95.4 ฿3,187

-31.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.12 ¥7,445

$88.0 ฿2,940

-46.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥82.6K

$737 ฿24.6K

-29.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.0K

$462 ฿15.5K

-27.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 ¥172.9K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-47.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.2K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-39.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,285 ¥677.0K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

22.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,755 ¥277.2K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-30.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

5.57

-64.63%

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

Last update for Oita: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oita

$336 25.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 37.8% $127

Groceries & Markets

Oita

$317 24.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 15.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oita

$273 20.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 54.3% $148

Eating Out

Oita

$152 11.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 20.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Oita

$84 6.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 47.5% $40

Getting Around

Oita

$74 5.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 46.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Oita

$74 5.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 7.8% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $523 in Oita and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Oita vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Oita

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

09:59 9:59 AM

2 h behind Oita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

475,614

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oita Phuket 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Oita
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

Oita vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Oita. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,964 in Oita and $1,813 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: $523 in Oita versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $126 in Oita versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Oita. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,309 in Oita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Oita. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Oita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.