Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ibaraki Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ibaraki

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,264 in Phuket versus $1,224 in Ibaraki.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,256 in Phuket versus $1,878 in Ibaraki.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,248 in Phuket versus $2,531 in Ibaraki.

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Ibaraki 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ฿150

$7.04 ¥1,109

-36.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.59 ฿1,521

$33.98 ¥5,354

34.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿292

$5.50 ¥867

59.27%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ฿99.0

$3.08 ¥485

-3.57%

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

$0.69 ฿22.90

$1.11 ¥174

-37.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.04

$0.80 ¥126

-51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.4

$2.67 ¥421

-5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿125

$3.14 ¥495

19.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ฿71.6

$2.23 ¥351

-3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿60.6

$1.52 ¥240

19.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.45 ¥543

-36.81%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.0

$2.23 ¥351

0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.00 ฿667

$10.20 ¥1,607

96.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿121

$6.18 ¥974

-41.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿452

$15.19 ¥2,393

-10.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ฿108

$5.34 ¥841

-39.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.6

$2.64 ¥416

-37.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿77.8

$4.01 ¥631

-41.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.1

$5.79 ¥913

-64.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.6

$3.04 ¥479

-49.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.54

$2.54 ¥401

-42.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.86

$1.38 ¥218

-28.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.77 ¥122

-37.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$4.28 ¥674

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.57 ฿620

$7.95 ¥1,253

133.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿61.9

$2.58 ¥406

-27.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿88.6

$2.28 ¥359

16.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.28

$1.87 ¥295

-24.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 ฿386

$55.4 ¥8,724

-79.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ฿106

$4.97 ¥782

-36.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ฿34.41

$3.00 ¥473

-65.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 ฿463

$20.51 ¥3,232

-32.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.84

$1.20 ¥189

11.67%

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

$27.8K ฿927.1K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

21.75%

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

$33.4K ฿1.1M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

89.68%

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

$123 ฿4,105

$143 ¥22.6K

-14.23%

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

$13.77 ฿459

$27.17 ¥4,282

-49.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 ฿611

$34.01 ¥5,358

-46.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 ฿2,025

$56.2 ¥8,848

8.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿573

$13.78 ¥2,171

24.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿296

$12.46 ¥1,963

-28.81%

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

$688 ฿22.9K

$280 ¥44.1K

146.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿526.4K

$13.4K ¥2.1M

17.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,978

$29.33 ¥4,621

102.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.69 ฿1,157

$28.90 ¥4,553

20.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,843

$72.2 ¥11.4K

59.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ฿2,794

$87.1 ¥13.7K

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 ฿20.7K

$439 ¥69.2K

41.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.9K

$285 ¥44.9K

56.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 ฿67.8K

$874 ¥137.8K

132.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿49.9K

$593 ¥93.4K

152.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,455 ฿115.3K

$4,597 ¥724.3K

-24.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,531 ฿84.4K

$2,172 ¥342.3K

16.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$2,446 ¥385.5K

-79.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.78

199.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Last update for Ibaraki: July 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Phuket and $439 in Ibaraki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays 396% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Ibaraki. Groceries flip the comparison at $291 vs $317, 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 Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Ibaraki differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,264 vs $1,224 including rent). Ibaraki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 396% lower in Ibaraki. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $621 in Phuket versus $439 in Ibaraki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 9% 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 $34.00 versus $46.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,224 in Ibaraki versus $1,264 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ibaraki but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ibaraki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Phuket and Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki 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.