Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibaraki and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,142 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,142

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ibaraki and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ibaraki and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,142 in Ibaraki versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Ibaraki $1,142
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,768 in Ibaraki versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Ibaraki $1,768
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,395 in Ibaraki versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Ibaraki $2,395
Phuket $3,115

Living in Ibaraki costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ibaraki 16% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥983

$4.39 ฿147

41.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.03 ¥4,915

$32.31 ฿1,078

-3.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 ¥827

$8.70 ฿290

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$3.15 ¥499

$2.72 ฿90.9

15.81%

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

$1.15 ¥182

$0.93 ฿31.06

23.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.50 ฿16.67

58.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$2.53 ฿84.5

4.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥494

$3.63 ฿121

-14.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 ¥432

$1.74 ฿58.1

56.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.45 ฿48.42

8.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 ¥650

$1.50 ฿50.1

173.33%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.17 ฿72.5

-6.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.34 ¥1,637

$19.09 ฿637

-45.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 ¥1,037

$3.40 ฿113

92.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 ¥2,652

$10.90 ฿364

53.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥588

$2.94 ฿98.2

26.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥361

$1.69 ฿56.5

34.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 ¥467

$2.19 ฿73.2

34.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ¥659

$2.12 ฿70.9

96.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 ¥392

$1.46 ฿48.68

69.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ¥412

$1.37 ฿45.66

89.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.08 ฿35.91

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥134

$0.55 ฿18.21

54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ¥680

$4.43 ฿148

-3.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 ¥1,040

$18.25 ฿609

-64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥295

$1.77 ฿59.2

5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥329

$2.88 ฿96.2

-27.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.45 ฿48.32

13.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.8 ¥9,160

$54.9 ฿1,832

5.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 ¥753

$1.51 ฿50.5

214.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 ¥464

$0.78 ฿25.90

275.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.58 ¥4,051

$3.84 ฿128

566.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.49 ฿49.65

-26.85%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

-19.24%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-41.63%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$97.8 ฿3,265

40.68%

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

$24.35 ¥3,857

$11.29 ฿377

115.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.52 ¥4,991

$17.19 ฿574

83.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 ¥8,017

$68.3 ฿2,281

-25.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$12.49 ¥1,978

$7.43 ฿248

68.10%

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

$626 ¥99.2K

$530 ฿17.7K

18.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-17.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.34 ¥4,171

$61.7 ฿2,059

-57.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.99 ¥5,067

$28.25 ฿943

13.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.6 ¥10.7K

$96.0 ฿3,204

-29.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.0 ¥12.8K

$86.8 ฿2,898

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ¥63.8K

$721 ฿24.1K

-44.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 ¥41.9K

$509 ฿17.0K

-48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 ¥162.8K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-47.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 ¥83.5K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-62.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,712 ¥746.3K

$4,192 ฿139.9K

12.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 ¥377.6K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-27.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,498 ¥395.6K

$492 ฿16.4K

408.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

5.57

-60.32%

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

Last update for Ibaraki: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ibaraki

$301 26.4%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 11.3% $34

Accommodation & Living

Ibaraki

$264 23.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 92.5% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibaraki

$193 17%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 34.7% $67

Eating Out

Ibaraki

$130 11.4%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 8.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ibaraki

$93 8.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 31.8% $30

Getting Around

Ibaraki

$84 7.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 21.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ibaraki

$76 6.6%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 10% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Ibaraki and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays about 5.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Ibaraki vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $301 vs $267, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

02:19 2:19 AM

2 h behind Ibaraki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

287,730

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ibaraki Phuket 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ibaraki
Phuket

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

Ibaraki vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,142 in Ibaraki and $1,294 in Phuket, so Ibaraki is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ibaraki is about 5.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $403 in Ibaraki versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibaraki – a meal for two runs $31 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ibaraki 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, Ibaraki and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.