Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Oita Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Oita

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,140 in Oita.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,739 in Oita.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,339 in Oita.

Living in Phuket is roughly 10% more expensive than in Oita, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Oita 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$5.70 ¥926

-20.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$41.49 ¥6,741

11.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.99 ¥973

47.58%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$2.02 ¥328

51.49%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.09 ¥177

-33.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.72 ¥116

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$3.46 ¥562

-29.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.09 ¥502

22.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.27 ¥206

77.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.33 ¥216

36.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.12 ¥669

-45.39%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.57 ¥418

-12.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$5.73 ¥931

240.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.09 ¥990

-40.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$11.50 ¥1,869

13.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.36 ¥871

-39.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$4.95 ¥803

-67.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$5.30 ¥861

-55.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$2.27 ¥368

-10.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$1.41 ¥229

8.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.41 ¥229

6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.23 ¥201

-20.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.81 ¥131

-35.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.80 ¥617

16.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$6.12 ¥994

199.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$2.05 ¥334

-9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.10 ¥341

27.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.28 ¥207

10.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$34.22 ¥5,559

-65.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.37 ¥547

-7.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$1.97 ¥319

-47.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$19.35 ¥3,144

-27.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.22 ¥197

7.38%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$23.1K ¥3.7M

20.58%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$14.5K ¥2.4M

128.45%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$81.2 ¥13.2K

50.86%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.71 ¥4,502

-50.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$22.15 ¥3,598

-15.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$55.8 ¥9,060

8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$6.81 ¥1,107

149.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$10.21 ¥1,659

-11.17%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$414 ¥67.2K

70.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$13.4K ¥2.2M

17.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$40.05 ¥6,506

46.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$29.65 ¥4,818

19.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$67.1 ¥10.9K

71.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$93.2 ¥15.1K

-10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$470 ¥76.4K

33.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$373 ¥60.5K

19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$763 ¥124.0K

167.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$562 ¥91.3K

165.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$4,106 ¥667.1K

-15.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$1,771 ¥287.8K

45.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$1,258 ¥204.5K

-60.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.5

255.33%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Oita: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $470 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oita pays 152% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $41.00 in Oita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $272 per month, with Oita 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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oita wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oita the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 152% lower in Oita. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $626 in Phuket versus $470 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $414 in Oita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,140 in Oita versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oita but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Oita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oita delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,140 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oita hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Oita 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 Oita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.