Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Otsu Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Otsu

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,216 in Otsu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,935 in Otsu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,655 in Otsu.

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than Otsu, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Otsu 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$8.09 ¥1,293

-41.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$34.07 ¥5,450

33.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.64 ¥903

49.47%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.09 ¥495

-5.18%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$0.92 ¥147

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.72 ¥115

-48.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$3.52 ¥563

-31.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$3.19 ¥510

16.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.69 ¥270

31.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.72 ¥274

6.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$3.09 ¥495

-29.77%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$2.35 ¥376

-5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$9.61 ¥1,537

105.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$7.75 ¥1,239

-53.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$15.18 ¥2,428

-10.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$5.40 ¥865

-39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$2.60 ¥416

-38.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$4.96 ¥793

-51.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$3.95 ¥632

-47.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$1.66 ¥265

-7.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$2.36 ¥378

-37.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$1.23 ¥197

-19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$1.01 ¥161

-49.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.04 ¥646

9.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$7.31 ¥1,169

165.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.80 ¥288

-1.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$2.39 ¥382

13.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$1.61 ¥258

-14.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$55.1 ¥8,818

-79.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$3.49 ¥557

-13.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$2.89 ¥462

-65.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$17.62 ¥2,819

-19.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.22 ¥196

11.48%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

23.80%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$17.1K ¥2.7M

92.92%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$113 ¥18.1K

7.73%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$26.63 ¥4,260

-49.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$33.27 ¥5,322

-44.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$56.5 ¥9,036

6.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$14.04 ¥2,246

22.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$12.45 ¥1,992

-30.20%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$374 ¥59.9K

85.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$7,274 ¥1.2M

115.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$46.68 ¥7,466

27.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$31.44 ¥5,028

10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$55.4 ¥8,859

106.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$92.4 ¥14.8K

-9.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$467 ¥74.7K

31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$325 ¥52.1K

34.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$877 ¥140.3K

138.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$651 ¥104.2K

131.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$4,879 ¥780.4K

-23.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$2,196 ¥351.2K

19.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.78

199.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Otsu: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $467 in Otsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Otsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $306, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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 Otsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Otsu wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Otsu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,823 in Otsu 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: $613 in Phuket versus $467 in Otsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $374 in Otsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,216 in Otsu versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Otsu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Otsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Otsu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,216 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Otsu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Otsu 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 Otsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.