Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Oita

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,309 in Oita, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Oita despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Oita
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Oita Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Oita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Oita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,309 in Oita.

Phuket $1,208
Oita $1,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,033 in Oita.

Phuket $2,027
Oita $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,757 in Oita.

Phuket $2,845
Oita $2,757

Living in Phuket costs roughly 8% less than in Oita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Oita 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.42 ¥1,172

-40.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$42.27 ¥6,677

-23.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.91 ¥934

48.22%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.74 ¥591

-24.33%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.00 ¥159

-10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.75 ¥118

-37.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.75 ¥593

-32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.25 ¥355

70.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.57 ¥248

10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.93 ¥304

-23.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$6.61 ¥1,044

-77.16%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.30 ¥364

-5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$17.89 ¥2,827

10.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.49 ¥867

-39.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$18.89 ¥2,985

-40.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.58 ¥565

-20.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.81 ¥286

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.86 ¥451

-23.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.42 ¥540

-40.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.15 ¥340

-32.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.56 ¥404

-46.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.03 ¥163

3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.91 ¥143

-43.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.88 ¥613

9.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.34 ¥1,001

193.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.71 ¥270

4.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.85 ¥292

54.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.51 ¥239

49.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$53.2 ¥8,409

-58.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.91 ¥617

-23.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.08 ¥329

-49.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$18.07 ¥2,855

-78.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.05 ¥167

38.10%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

20.34%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.6K ¥2.8M

52.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$214 ¥33.9K

-55.04%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$24.34 ¥3,846

-54.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$33.96 ¥5,365

-49.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$51.3 ¥8,104

1.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.12 ¥1,757

-29.77%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$126 ¥20.0K

339.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-5.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.06 ¥7,751

30.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$26.11 ¥4,126

9.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$65.0 ¥10.3K

46.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$47.12 ¥7,445

86.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$523 ¥82.6K

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$336 ¥53.0K

37.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,094 ¥172.9K

91.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$723 ¥114.2K

66.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,285 ¥677.0K

-18.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,755 ¥277.2K

43.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.97

182.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Oita: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Oita

$336 25.6% 27.4% $127

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Oita

$317 24.2% 18.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Oita

$273 20.8% 119% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Oita

$84 6.4% 32.2% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Oita

$152 11.6% 25.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Oita

$74 5.6% 8.5% $5.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Oita

$74 5.6% 86.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $523 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Oita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $317 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Oita

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

475,614

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Oita 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Oita

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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Oita. 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 $1,813 in Phuket and $1,964 in Oita 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: $737 in Phuket versus $523 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $126 in Oita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Oita. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,309 in Oita, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Oita. 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 $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Oita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.