Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,400 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,400 in Osaka versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Osaka $1,400
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Osaka versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Osaka $1,991
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,582 in Osaka versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Osaka $2,582
Phuket $2,822

Living in Osaka is roughly 18% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 4% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.19 ¥979

$4.35 ฿146

42.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.80 ¥5,032

$32.45 ฿1,087

-2.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥781

$8.42 ฿282

-41.45%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥474

$2.81 ฿94.0

6.76%

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

$1.45 ¥229

$0.87 ฿29.29

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥113

$0.46 ฿15.39

56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ¥415

$2.59 ฿86.6

1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ¥618

$3.64 ฿122

7.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.71 ฿57.2

-14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.45 ฿48.42

-9.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥831

$1.56 ฿52.3

236.54%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.10 ฿70.3

-3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 ¥1,545

$19.53 ฿654

-49.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,460

$3.40 ฿114

171.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 ¥2,841

$11.14 ฿373

61.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.83 ฿94.8

16.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥317

$1.62 ฿54.3

23.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ¥334

$2.22 ฿74.5

-4.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 ¥650

$2.15 ฿71.9

91.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.49 ฿49.95

1.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.33 ฿44.40

-10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.07 ฿35.72

21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥137

$0.51 ฿17.01

68.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$4.38 ฿147

-12.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.74 ¥1,542

$18.77 ฿629

-48.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.74 ฿58.3

7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ¥499

$2.78 ฿92.9

13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ¥212

$2.17 ฿72.6

-38.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.68 ¥5,171

$22.28 ฿746

46.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥610

$3.02 ฿101

27.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 ¥505

$1.06 ฿35.43

200.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.93 ¥3,470

$3.71 ฿124

491.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.43 ฿47.88

-23.08%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$26.3K ฿882.1K

-18.35%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$26.2K ฿877.3K

-42.25%

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

$140 ¥22.2K

$96.7 ฿3,236

44.92%

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

$24.14 ¥3,821

$11.41 ฿382

111.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.58 ¥4,840

$17.11 ฿573

78.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.41 ¥7,819

$52.8 ฿1,768

-6.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.41 ¥2,914

$11.07 ฿371

66.31%

Cinema Ticket

$12.27 ¥1,941

$7.65 ฿256

60.39%

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

$511 ¥80.9K

$555 ฿18.6K

-7.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K ¥2.1M

$11.3K ฿377.7K

16.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.50 ¥7,517

$63.4 ฿2,123

-25.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.12 ¥4,767

$28.61 ฿958

5.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 ¥11.6K

$96.7 ฿3,238

-24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 ¥14.4K

$88.6 ฿2,967

2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ¥111.3K

$735 ฿24.6K

-4.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ¥80.4K

$458 ฿15.3K

10.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 ¥277.2K

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-16.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 ¥121.1K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-35.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,208 ¥982.3K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

77.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,938 ¥306.7K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-22.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 ¥371.2K

$501 ฿16.8K

368.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$508 36.9%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 9.8% $50

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$301 21.9%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 11% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14.2%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 35.7% $70

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.5%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 8.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$109 7.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 14.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 7.9% $5.8

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 32.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $704 in Osaka and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 368% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $301 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

2 h behind Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Osaka Phuket 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Osaka
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

Osaka vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Phuket differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,400 vs $1,190 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 368% higher in Osaka, 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: $704 in Osaka versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 47% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $511 in Osaka versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,400 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.

Safety-wise, Osaka 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 18% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.