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: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,224 in Mito.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,974 in Mito.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $2,724 in Mito.

Living in Phuket is roughly 1% more expensive than in Mito, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Mito 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$6.61 ¥1,032

-33.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,073

$42.30 ¥6,606

-23.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿297

$5.11 ¥799

74.76%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.3

$3.54 ¥553

-18.08%

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

$0.88 ฿29.27

$1.09 ¥170

-19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.00

$0.81 ¥127

-40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.2

$2.55 ¥399

-7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$3.28 ¥512

13.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.0

$1.46 ¥228

28.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.75

$1.79 ¥279

-17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.6

$3.79 ¥591

-59.10%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿69.9

$2.13 ¥333

-1.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿651

$11.98 ¥1,871

63.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$6.25 ¥975

-45.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿378

$14.56 ¥2,273

-21.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.2

$5.78 ¥902

-48.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.0

$2.89 ¥452

-41.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.5

$3.03 ¥474

-27.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿71.9

$4.25 ¥664

-49.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.58 ¥402

-41.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.49

$2.73 ¥426

-50.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.53

$1.33 ¥208

-15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.17

$0.77 ¥120

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.97 ¥620

7.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿635

$6.55 ¥1,023

191.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.2

$1.77 ¥277

0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.5

$2.15 ¥336

29.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.1

$1.66 ¥259

34.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿756

$63.5 ¥9,923

-64.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$3.31 ¥516

-8.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.02

$2.66 ¥415

-61.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿129

$20.67 ¥3,228

-81.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.57

$1.15 ¥180

29.57%

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

$26.6K ฿883.8K

$22.1K ¥3.5M

20.29%

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

$27.0K ฿898.7K

$19.1K ¥3.0M

41.79%

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

$102 ฿3,407

$136 ¥21.2K

-24.58%

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

$11.33 ฿377

$24.81 ¥3,875

-54.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿578

$32.90 ¥5,137

-47.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,732

$57.6 ¥8,993

-9.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿256

$12.81 ¥2,001

-39.97%

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

$561 ฿18.6K

$655 ¥102.3K

-14.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿382.6K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-22.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,096

$63.8 ¥9,966

-1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿982

$32.75 ¥5,114

-9.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,259

$63.6 ¥9,936

54.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,943

$106 ¥16.5K

-16.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.5K

$510 ¥79.6K

44.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.0K

$320 ¥49.9K

50.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.0K

$1,019 ¥159.2K

106.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.8K

$741 ¥115.7K

65.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.3K

$3,673 ¥573.6K

-1.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.5K

$1,732 ¥270.4K

50.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.12

162.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Mito: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $510 in Mito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Mito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $301 per month, with Phuket 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

Phuket vs Mito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mito wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $1,835 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: $738 in Phuket versus $510 in Mito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Mito – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,224 in Mito versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mito but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Mito the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mito delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,224 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mito 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 Mito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.