Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mito Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mito

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,277 in Mito.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,988 in Mito.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,699 in Mito.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 1% less than in Mito, driven mainly by Getting Around.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$7.07 ¥1,131

-33.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$42.37 ¥6,777

7.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.71 ¥913

47.64%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.15 ¥503

-6.98%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$1.17 ¥186

-41.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.76 ¥121

-51.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.04 ¥326

18.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$3.09 ¥493

20.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.57 ¥251

42.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.69 ¥271

8.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$5.03 ¥805

-56.86%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$2.23 ¥356

-0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$10.06 ¥1,609

96.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$6.13 ¥980

-40.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$15.17 ¥2,427

-10.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$6.13 ¥980

-46.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$3.04 ¥487

-47.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$3.97 ¥635

-39.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$5.89 ¥943

-64.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$3.34 ¥533

-54.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$4.36 ¥697

-66.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$1.33 ¥212

-25.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.87 ¥140

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.11 ¥658

7.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$7.22 ¥1,155

168.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.83 ¥292

-2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$2.05 ¥329

32.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$1.65 ¥263

-16.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$56.2 ¥8,988

-79.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$3.43 ¥549

-11.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$2.85 ¥457

-65.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$22.52 ¥3,602

-37.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.18 ¥189

15.25%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$23.3K ¥3.7M

20.96%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$18.6K ¥3.0M

77.02%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$143 ¥22.8K

-14.78%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$27.82 ¥4,450

-51.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$33.76 ¥5,400

-45.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$56.1 ¥8,976

7.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$13.92 ¥2,226

23.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$13.94 ¥2,229

-37.66%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$277 ¥44.3K

150.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$14.0K ¥2.2M

12.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$41.18 ¥6,587

44.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$29.85 ¥4,775

16.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$60.8 ¥9,730

88.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$111 ¥17.8K

-25.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$466 ¥74.6K

31.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$330 ¥52.7K

32.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$851 ¥136.0K

146.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$657 ¥105.0K

129.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$4,998 ¥799.5K

-24.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$2,239 ¥358.1K

16.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

2.05

160.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Mito: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $466 in Mito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Mito. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $324, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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

Phuket vs Mito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Mito. 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 $1,898 in Phuket and $1,916 in Mito 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: $613 in Phuket versus $466 in Mito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Mito. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $42.00 in Mito. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,277 in Mito, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Mito. 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 $1,265 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Mito 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 1% less than in Mito. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.