Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mito

For one person, living is cheaper in Mito: $1,208 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Mito
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Mito Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mito

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mito

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Mito actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,208 in Mito.

Phuket $1,278
Mito $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,947 in Mito.

Phuket $2,216
Mito $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,686 in Mito.

Phuket $3,154
Mito $2,686

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Mito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Mito 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.27 ¥989

-28.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$40.72 ¥6,421

-20.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.09 ¥803

73.08%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.47 ¥547

-18.44%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.11 ¥175

-21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.80 ¥127

-38.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.59 ¥408

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.14 ¥495

17.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.39 ¥219

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.76 ¥277

-17.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.56 ¥561

-57.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.02 ¥318

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.37 ¥1,635

83.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.00 ¥946

-45.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.65 ¥2,310

-25.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.69 ¥898

-48.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.70 ¥425

-37.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.94 ¥463

-23.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.10 ¥647

-49.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.54 ¥401

-40.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.63 ¥415

-47.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.24 ¥196

-13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.77 ¥121

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.70 ¥583

13.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.45 ¥1,017

191.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.79 ¥283

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.05 ¥323

38.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.55 ¥244

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-12.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.08 ¥486

-1.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.74 ¥432

-62.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$20.66 ¥3,258

-82.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.12 ¥177

31.25%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

23.83%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.7K ¥2.5M

70.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$130 ¥20.5K

-25.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.70 ¥3,894

-54.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.70 ¥4,999

-46.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$49.13 ¥7,747

36.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.28 ¥2,094

-43.52%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$831 ¥131.1K

-42.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-25.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$62.8 ¥9,898

-0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$37.11 ¥5,852

-23.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$61.3 ¥9,663

53.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$101 ¥15.9K

-15.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$557 ¥87.8K

28.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$317 ¥50.0K

54.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,034 ¥163.1K

86.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$733 ¥115.5K

95.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,884 ¥770.1K

-14.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,182 ¥344.1K

39.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.64

110.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mito: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mito

$317 26.2% 35.4% $174

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mito

$289 23.9% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mito

$186 15.4% 49.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mito

$118 9.8% 3.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mito

$134 11.1% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mito

$76 6.3% 8% $6.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mito

$88 7.3% 24.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $557 in Mito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $41 in Mito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $289 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Mito

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

14:57 2:57 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

271,047

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mito 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mito

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

Phuket vs Mito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mito wins on cost – living expenses run 6% 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 $1,917 in Phuket and $1,811 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: $716 in Phuket versus $557 in Mito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Mito. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Mito is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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