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: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,219 in Ube.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,916 in Ube.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,613 in Ube.

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Ube, driven mainly by Getting Around.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$6.77 ¥1,100

-32.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.69 ¥5,636

33.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.66 ¥920

56.18%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.17 ¥516

-3.47%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.08 ¥176

-32.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.82 ¥132

-51.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.09 ¥340

16.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.07 ¥499

23.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.52 ¥247

48.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.61 ¥261

12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.81 ¥782

-53.22%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.23 ¥363

0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$10.02 ¥1,628

94.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.34 ¥1,030

-42.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$15.45 ¥2,511

-15.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$5.53 ¥898

-41.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.64 ¥428

-38.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$3.95 ¥642

-39.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$4.53 ¥736

-55.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$3.29 ¥534

-53.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.65 ¥431

-43.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.33 ¥216

-26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.83 ¥135

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.13 ¥671

7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$6.68 ¥1,085

174.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.94 ¥315

-4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.32 ¥376

15.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.59 ¥258

-11.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$54.8 ¥8,903

-78.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.52 ¥572

-11.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$2.99 ¥486

-65.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$20.68 ¥3,360

-31.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.18 ¥192

11.02%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$23.6K ¥3.8M

18.01%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$16.8K ¥2.7M

97.69%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$141 ¥22.9K

-13.18%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$27.30 ¥4,436

-50.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$33.92 ¥5,512

-44.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$57.6 ¥9,358

5.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$13.61 ¥2,211

24.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$13.42 ¥2,180

-32.41%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$283 ¥46.0K

149.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$13.5K ¥2.2M

17.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$43.95 ¥7,140

33.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$29.09 ¥4,726

21.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$61.1 ¥9,925

89.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$90.5 ¥14.7K

-7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$465 ¥75.5K

34.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$328 ¥53.3K

35.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$863 ¥140.3K

136.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$655 ¥106.4K

127.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$2,756 ¥447.7K

26.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$2,119 ¥344.2K

21.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Ube: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $465 in Ube. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Ube. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $308, 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

Ube is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Phuket and $1,829 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: $626 in Phuket versus $465 in Ube. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $283 in Ube. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,219 in Ube versus $1,250 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.

Expats usually find Ube gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.