Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ocho Rios

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 Ocho Rios actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,089 in Ocho Rios.

Phuket $1,207
Ocho Rios $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,565 in Ocho Rios.

Phuket $2,037
Ocho Rios $1,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,040 in Ocho Rios.

Phuket $2,867
Ocho Rios $2,040

Living in Phuket is roughly 11% more expensive than in Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Ocho Rios 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$9.32 JMD 1,473

-50.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

-48.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$6.73 JMD 1,063

27.04%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.07 JMD 486

-11.40%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.16 JMD 183

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.67 JMD 107

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.22 JMD 350

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.08 JMD 486

24.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$3.94 JMD 623

-55.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.78 JMD 439

-48.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.61 JMD 255

-4.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.58 JMD 566

-39.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$11.47 JMD 1,813

66.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.19 JMD 978

-46.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.14 JMD 1,602

9.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$5.86 JMD 926

-49.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.12 JMD 493

-46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$6.42 JMD 1,015

-64.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.44 JMD 385

-12.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.28 JMD 518

-53.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.54 JMD 401

-46.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.85 JMD 451

-60.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.40 JMD 221

-60.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$8.54 JMD 1,349

-50.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.25 JMD 1,462

96.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.88 JMD 454

-39.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.86 JMD 609

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.95 JMD 151

133.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.22 JMD 193

138.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$3.22 JMD 509

-68.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.33 JMD 1,000

-39.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.43 JMD 227

4.20%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-38.93%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-19.20%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$169 JMD 26.7K

-41.11%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$19.74 JMD 3,118

-42.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$53.6 JMD 8,471

-67.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$11.47 JMD 1,812

-34.00%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$358 JMD 56.6K

55.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

41.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$23.39 JMD 3,696

168.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$31.00 JMD 4,897

-7.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

26.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$104 JMD 16.4K

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$378 JMD 59.7K

92.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$188 JMD 29.7K

144.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3% 59.1% $272

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4% 32.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2% 89.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7% 15.1% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3% 28.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1% 66% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9% 45.7% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $63.0 in Ocho Rios for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $353 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

20:42 8:42 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

26,503

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Ocho Rios 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ocho Rios

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 Ocho Rios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ocho Rios is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,634 in Ocho Rios 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: $729 in Phuket versus $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $358 in Ocho Rios. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ocho Rios – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ocho Rios is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ocho Rios 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 Ocho Rios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.