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: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,245 in Ube.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,932 in Ube.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $2,620 in Ube.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 1% less than in Ube, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Ube 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$7.11 ¥1,115

-37.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,074

$34.40 ¥5,395

-6.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿297

$5.47 ¥858

63.25%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.4

$3.10 ¥487

-6.45%

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

$0.88 ฿29.30

$1.13 ¥178

-22.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.01

$0.81 ¥127

-40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.3

$2.11 ¥331

11.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$3.20 ¥501

16.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.1

$1.59 ¥250

17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.81

$1.58 ¥248

-6.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.7

$4.64 ¥728

-66.59%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.0

$2.27 ¥355

-7.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿652

$10.17 ¥1,596

92.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$6.22 ¥975

-45.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿379

$15.72 ¥2,465

-27.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.3

$5.43 ¥851

-45.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.64 ¥415

-36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.5

$4.14 ¥649

-46.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.0

$4.49 ¥704

-51.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$3.18 ¥499

-52.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.55

$2.69 ¥423

-50.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.57

$1.37 ¥215

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.19

$0.82 ¥129

-32.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.09 ¥642

4.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿635

$6.63 ¥1,041

187.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.2

$1.98 ¥311

-10.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.6

$2.32 ¥364

19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.2

$1.64 ¥257

35.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿757

$55.1 ¥8,636

-58.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$3.43 ¥539

-11.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.06

$2.97 ¥465

-65.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$20.86 ¥3,272

-81.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.63

$1.18 ¥185

26.27%

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

$26.6K ฿884.9K

$22.9K ¥3.6M

16.03%

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

$27.0K ฿899.8K

$17.1K ¥2.7M

58.29%

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

$102 ฿3,411

$142 ¥22.2K

-27.62%

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

$11.33 ฿377

$26.74 ¥4,194

-57.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿579

$34.18 ¥5,362

-49.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,734

$58.9 ¥9,236

-11.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿369

$13.82 ¥2,167

-19.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿256

$13.00 ¥2,040

-40.85%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$276 ¥43.4K

102.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.0K

$13.4K ¥2.1M

-14.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,098

$43.78 ¥6,868

43.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿983

$29.07 ¥4,560

1.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,263

$61.2 ¥9,601

60.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,946

$92.6 ¥14.5K

-4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$471 ¥73.9K

56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$328 ¥51.4K

47.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.1K

$859 ¥134.8K

145.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.8K

$647 ¥101.5K

89.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.4K

$2,798 ¥438.8K

29.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.7K

$1,801 ¥282.5K

44.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.4K

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: September 15, 2026

Last update for Ube: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $471 in Ube. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Ube for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $308 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $1,867 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: $738 in Phuket versus $471 in Ube. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $276 in Ube. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Ube. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,245 in Ube, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ube. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ube, 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Ube. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.