Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Otsu and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Otsu and in Phuket: $1,297 and $1,278 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
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Otsu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Otsu versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Otsu $1,297
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,890 in Otsu versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Otsu $1,890
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,482 in Otsu versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Otsu $2,482
Phuket $3,154

Monthly costs are close between Otsu and Phuket; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Otsu 5% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.43 ¥1,330

$4.47 ฿151

88.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,041

$32.41 ฿1,094

-1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥810

$8.81 ฿297

-41.77%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥493

$2.83 ฿95.5

10.25%

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

$1.18 ¥187

$0.87 ฿29.43

35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.49 ฿16.67

83.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ¥504

$2.56 ฿86.4

24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ¥712

$3.68 ฿124

22.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.66 ฿56.0

-7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.46 ฿49.35

6.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 ¥714

$1.50 ฿50.6

201.33%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.09 ฿70.5

2.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.67 ¥2,474

$19.07 ฿644

-17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 ¥1,086

$3.30 ฿111

108.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,717

$10.91 ฿368

57.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ¥781

$2.93 ฿99.0

68.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 ¥392

$1.69 ฿57.1

47.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥784

$2.25 ฿75.8

120.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 ¥698

$2.08 ฿70.1

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$1.51 ฿51.0

45.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.38 ฿46.56

35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥187

$1.07 ฿35.99

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.52 ฿17.52

67.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥626

$4.20 ฿142

-5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 ¥1,529

$18.79 ฿634

-48.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥325

$1.82 ฿61.5

13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥345

$2.84 ฿95.9

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.45 ฿49.03

2.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 ¥9,077

$56.7 ฿1,913

1.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 ¥514

$3.02 ฿102

7.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 ¥449

$1.02 ฿34.36

179.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.41 ¥4,485

$3.69 ฿125

669.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥177

$1.47 ฿49.81

-23.81%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-17.22%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-42.82%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$96.4 ฿3,254

22.17%

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

$23.18 ¥3,660

$11.26 ฿380

105.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.70 ¥4,848

$16.85 ฿569

82.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ¥8,039

$67.2 ฿2,270

-24.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.46 ¥1,493

$10.73 ฿362

-11.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,029

$7.50 ฿253

71.33%

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

$700 ¥110.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

47.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ¥2.0M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

11.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 ¥8,764

$62.4 ฿2,106

-10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥5,691

$28.41 ฿959

26.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ¥11.0K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-26.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 ¥15.3K

$85.8 ฿2,898

13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 ¥69.9K

$716 ฿24.2K

-38.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ¥57.8K

$491 ฿16.6K

-25.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥98.3K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-67.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥72.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-67.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,199 ¥662.9K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

0.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,274 ¥359.1K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-25.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,818 ¥287.0K

$502 ฿17.0K

261.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

5.57

-62.30%

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

Last update for Otsu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Otsu

$366 28.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 34% $125

Groceries & Markets

Otsu

$332 25.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Otsu

$172 13.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27.5% $47

Eating Out

Otsu

$154 11.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Otsu

$116 9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.9% $5.7

Getting Around

Otsu

$81 6.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 12.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Otsu

$77 5.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 7.3% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $443 in Otsu and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Otsu pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Otsu vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Otsu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

2 h behind Otsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,314

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Otsu Phuket 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Otsu
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

Otsu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Otsu is about 3.6 times higher, 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: $443 in Otsu versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $700 in Otsu versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Otsu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Otsu and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Otsu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.