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: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,223 in Otsu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,920 in Otsu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,617 in Otsu.

Living in Phuket is roughly 2% more expensive than in Otsu, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Otsu 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$8.50 ¥1,382

-46.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.39 ¥5,587

34.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.47 ¥888

61.61%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.01 ¥490

1.66%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.91 ¥149

-19.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.72 ¥117

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$3.45 ¥560

-29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.20 ¥520

18.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.69 ¥275

33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.71 ¥278

5.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.10 ¥503

-27.42%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.34 ¥379

-3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$9.56 ¥1,554

104.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$7.71 ¥1,253

-52.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$15.61 ¥2,537

-16.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.46 ¥887

-40.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.60 ¥422

-37.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$4.83 ¥785

-50.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$3.94 ¥641

-48.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$1.60 ¥260

-4.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.37 ¥385

-36.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.31 ¥212

-25.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$1.01 ¥164

-48.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.06 ¥660

9.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$9.06 ¥1,472

102.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.80 ¥292

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.40 ¥390

11.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.59 ¥258

-11.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$54.9 ¥8,916

-78.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.44 ¥559

-9.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$2.93 ¥475

-64.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$17.07 ¥2,773

-17.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.19 ¥194

10.08%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$22.8K ¥3.7M

21.87%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$17.1K ¥2.8M

94.25%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$110 ¥17.9K

11.23%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$26.63 ¥4,326

-48.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$33.78 ¥5,488

-44.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$54.9 ¥8,916

10.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.64 ¥2,216

24.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$12.54 ¥2,037

-27.67%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$374 ¥60.7K

88.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$7,474 ¥1.2M

111.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$45.41 ¥7,378

28.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$31.67 ¥5,146

11.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$56.1 ¥9,119

105.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$92.5 ¥15.0K

-9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$468 ¥76.1K

33.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$323 ¥52.5K

37.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$856 ¥139.1K

138.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$669 ¥108.8K

122.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$4,318 ¥701.6K

-19.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$2,079 ¥337.7K

23.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$1,769 ¥287.5K

-71.75%

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Otsu: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $468 in Otsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Otsu pays 254% 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 $34.00 in Otsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $311, 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 2% 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.

On paper, salaries run 254% lower in Otsu. 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 $468 in Otsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 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 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,223 in Otsu versus $1,250 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 $1,223 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 2% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.