Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichihara and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Ichihara and in Phuket: $1,194 and $1,207 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ichihara 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 Ichihara and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,194 in Ichihara versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ichihara $1,194
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Ichihara versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ichihara $1,963
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,731 in Ichihara versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ichihara $2,731
Phuket $2,867

Living in Ichihara costs roughly 1% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ichihara 12% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$4.58 ฿153

36.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 ¥6,585

$32.48 ฿1,086

28.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$8.55 ฿286

-41.99%

Cappuccino

$3.45 ¥545

$2.72 ฿91.0

26.84%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.94 ฿31.25

11.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.49 ฿16.39

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.59 ฿86.6

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$3.83 ฿128

-19.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.74 ฿58.1

-19.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥263

$1.43 ฿47.82

16.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 ¥568

$1.53 ฿51.0

135.29%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$2.17 ฿72.7

-8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ¥1,641

$19.15 ฿640

-45.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ¥933

$3.30 ฿110

78.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 ¥2,298

$11.14 ฿372

30.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 ¥908

$2.95 ฿98.5

94.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 ¥438

$1.68 ฿56.1

64.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$2.30 ฿76.8

22.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$2.13 ฿71.3

93.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.53 ฿51.1

69.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$1.36 ฿45.55

89.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.12 ฿37.44

13.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.55 ฿18.24

43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥612

$4.26 ฿142

-9.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 ¥991

$18.19 ฿608

-65.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥271

$1.74 ฿58.2

-1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.79 ฿93.3

-28.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$2.22 ฿74.1

-32.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ¥8,389

$22.06 ฿737

140.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$2.91 ฿97.3

5.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ¥435

$1.01 ฿33.79

172.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$3.83 ฿128

427.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.49 ฿49.85

-25.50%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-18.97%

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

$18.4K ¥2.9M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-30.95%

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

$129 ¥20.4K

$99.4 ฿3,321

30.00%

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

$24.13 ¥3,812

$11.28 ฿377

113.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ¥4,976

$17.36 ฿580

81.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.03 ¥7,272

$52.3 ฿1,747

-11.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 ¥1,964

$7.57 ฿253

64.20%

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

$632 ¥99.9K

$558 ฿18.7K

13.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

28.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ¥9,981

$62.9 ฿2,102

0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.21 ¥5,721

$28.58 ฿955

26.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,726

$96.1 ฿3,213

-35.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ¥15.9K

$88.1 ฿2,943

14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥74.2K

$729 ฿24.4K

-35.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.5K

$460 ฿15.4K

-29.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥166.7K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-49.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥128.8K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-33.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,722 ¥746.0K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

36.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,935 ¥305.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-22.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

5.57

-52.60%

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

Last update for Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichihara

$326 27.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 41.2% $134

Groceries & Markets

Ichihara

$287 24.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 6.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichihara

$185 15.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 30.7% $57

Eating Out

Ichihara

$132 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 8.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ichihara

$118 9.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Ichihara

$76 6.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 48.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ichihara

$71 5.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 4.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Ichihara and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Ichihara vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

2 h behind Ichihara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,524

79,308

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ichihara Phuket 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichihara
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

Ichihara vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara is cheaper overall, especially in clothing. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,791 in Ichihara and $1,811 in Phuket 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: $470 in Ichihara versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $632 in Ichihara versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,194 in Ichihara versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ichihara 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, Ichihara and Phuket 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 Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.