Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,400 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Osaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,400 in Osaka.

Phuket $1,190
Osaka $1,400

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,991 in Osaka.

Phuket $2,006
Osaka $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $2,582 in Osaka.

Phuket $2,822
Osaka $2,582

Living in Phuket costs roughly 15% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Osaka is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$6.19 ¥979

-29.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$31.80 ¥5,032

2.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$4.93 ¥781

70.79%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$3.00 ¥474

-6.33%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.45 ¥229

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.72 ¥113

-36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.62 ¥415

-1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$3.91 ¥618

-6.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.46 ¥230

17.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.31 ¥207

10.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$5.25 ¥831

-70.29%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.03 ¥321

3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$9.77 ¥1,545

99.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.22 ¥1,460

-63.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$17.95 ¥2,841

-37.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$3.29 ¥520

-13.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.00 ¥317

-19.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$2.11 ¥334

5.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$4.11 ¥650

-47.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$1.51 ¥239

-1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.19 ¥188

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.30 ¥206

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.86 ¥137

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.82 ¥604

14.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$9.74 ¥1,542

92.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.87 ¥296

-6.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$3.15 ¥499

-11.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.34 ¥212

61.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$32.68 ¥5,171

-31.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$3.85 ¥610

-21.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$3.19 ¥505

-66.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$21.93 ¥3,470

-83.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.10 ¥173

30.00%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

22.48%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

73.17%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$140 ¥22.2K

-31.00%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$24.14 ¥3,821

-52.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$30.58 ¥4,840

-44.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$49.41 ¥7,819

6.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$18.41 ¥2,914

-39.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$12.27 ¥1,941

-37.65%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$511 ¥80.9K

8.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

-13.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$47.50 ¥7,517

33.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$30.12 ¥4,767

-5.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$73.4 ¥11.6K

31.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$91.0 ¥14.4K

-2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$704 ¥111.3K

4.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$508 ¥80.4K

-9.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$1,751 ¥277.2K

20.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$765 ¥121.1K

55.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$6,208 ¥982.3K

-43.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$1,938 ¥306.7K

28.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$2,346 ¥371.2K

-78.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.21

152.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Osaka

$508 36.9% 10.9% $50

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Osaka

$301 21.9% 12.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Osaka

$195 14.2% 55.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Osaka

$109 7.9% 12.7% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Osaka

$130 9.5% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 8.6% $5.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 47.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $704 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 368% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $301 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Osaka 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Osaka

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 Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Osaka differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $1,400 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 368% lower in Osaka. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $704 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 47% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $511 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,400 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Osaka 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 18% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.