Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ube

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,240 in Ube.

Phuket $1,294
Ube $1,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,925 in Ube.

Phuket $2,204
Ube $1,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,610 in Ube.

Phuket $3,115
Ube $2,610

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Ube 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.98 ¥1,106

-37.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$34.82 ¥5,516

-7.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$5.61 ¥889

55.08%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.20 ¥507

-15.00%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.14 ¥181

-18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.81 ¥128

-38.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.02 ¥320

25.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.09 ¥489

17.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.51 ¥240

15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.57 ¥249

-7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.80 ¥760

-68.75%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.20 ¥349

-1.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$9.93 ¥1,573

92.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.37 ¥1,009

-46.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$15.50 ¥2,455

-29.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$5.25 ¥832

-44.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.62 ¥415

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$3.97 ¥629

-44.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.46 ¥707

-52.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$3.31 ¥524

-55.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.69 ¥427

-49.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.38 ¥218

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.82 ¥130

-32.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.04 ¥640

9.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.65 ¥1,053

174.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.97 ¥312

-10.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.35 ¥372

22.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.60 ¥253

-9.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$56.5 ¥8,948

-2.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.39 ¥537

-55.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$2.90 ¥459

-73.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$21.04 ¥3,333

-81.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.18 ¥188

26.27%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

17.78%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$17.2K ¥2.7M

52.92%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$142 ¥22.5K

-31.06%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$27.14 ¥4,299

-58.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$34.42 ¥5,453

-50.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$57.7 ¥9,147

18.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$13.93 ¥2,207

-21.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$12.94 ¥2,049

-42.58%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$277 ¥44.0K

91.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

38.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$42.73 ¥6,769

44.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$29.68 ¥4,702

-4.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$60.0 ¥9,502

60.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$91.1 ¥14.4K

-4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$462 ¥73.2K

55.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$330 ¥52.3K

54.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$860 ¥136.2K

126.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$648 ¥102.6K

115.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,856 ¥452.4K

46.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,757 ¥278.3K

87.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.81

207.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ube

$330 26.6% 35.1% $179

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ube

$306 24.7% 14.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ube

$203 16.4% 61.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ube

$101 8.1% 18.1% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ube

$135 10.9% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ube

$84 6.8% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ube

$81 6.5% 22.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $462 in Ube. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Ube for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $306 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

162,570

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ube 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ube

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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ube is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,859 in Ube 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: $721 in Phuket versus $462 in Ube. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $277 in Ube. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Ube gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Ube are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.