Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ube Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ube

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,262 in Ube.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,933 in Ube.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $2,604 in Ube.

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Ube; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$7.01 ¥1,121

-32.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$34.18 ¥5,468

32.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$5.38 ¥861

56.69%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$3.11 ¥497

-5.79%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$1.14 ¥183

-39.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.81 ¥130

-54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.14 ¥342

12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$3.08 ¥492

20.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.52 ¥243

46.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.61 ¥257

13.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$4.86 ¥777

-55.35%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$2.21 ¥353

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$10.27 ¥1,643

92.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$6.41 ¥1,026

-43.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$15.66 ¥2,504

-13.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$5.40 ¥864

-39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$2.68 ¥428

-39.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$4.04 ¥646

-40.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$4.44 ¥711

-53.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$3.19 ¥510

-52.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$2.64 ¥423

-43.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$1.39 ¥222

-28.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.84 ¥134

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$4.04 ¥646

9.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$6.45 ¥1,032

200.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.98 ¥317

-10.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$2.37 ¥378

14.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$1.65 ¥265

-16.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$56.4 ¥9,020

-79.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$3.45 ¥551

-12.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$2.98 ¥476

-66.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$21.14 ¥3,381

-33.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.19 ¥190

14.29%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$23.4K ¥3.7M

20.63%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.8K ¥2.7M

95.34%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$138 ¥22.1K

-11.86%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$27.00 ¥4,318

-49.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$34.14 ¥5,460

-46.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$56.8 ¥9,077

6.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$13.70 ¥2,191

25.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$13.31 ¥2,130

-34.71%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$282 ¥45.1K

145.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$13.6K ¥2.2M

15.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$43.38 ¥6,938

37.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$30.04 ¥4,805

15.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$59.1 ¥9,460

93.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$90.4 ¥14.5K

-7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$465 ¥74.4K

31.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$335 ¥53.5K

30.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$865 ¥138.3K

142.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$660 ¥105.5K

128.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$2,863 ¥457.9K

30.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$1,828 ¥292.4K

43.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.81

194.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Ube: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $465 in Ube. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Ube. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $309, 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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,893 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: $613 in Phuket versus $465 in Ube. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $282 in Ube. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ube – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $45.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,262 in Ube versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ube but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ube the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ube is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ube are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Ube wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.