Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ibaraki

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ibaraki

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

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

Phuket $1,294
Ibaraki $1,142

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

Phuket $2,204
Ibaraki $1,768

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

Phuket $3,115
Ibaraki $2,395

Living in Phuket is roughly 13% more expensive than in Ibaraki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.20 ¥977

-29.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$31.03 ¥4,888

4.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$5.22 ¥822

66.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$3.15 ¥496

-13.65%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.15 ¥181

-19.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.79 ¥124

-36.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$2.65 ¥417

-4.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.12 ¥491

16.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.73 ¥429

-36.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.57 ¥247

-7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$4.10 ¥646

-63.41%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.03 ¥319

6.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$10.34 ¥1,628

84.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.54 ¥1,031

-48.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$16.75 ¥2,638

-34.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$3.71 ¥585

-20.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$2.28 ¥359

-25.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$2.95 ¥464

-25.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$4.16 ¥655

-49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$2.47 ¥390

-40.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$2.60 ¥410

-47.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.32 ¥208

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.85 ¥134

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$4.29 ¥676

3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$6.57 ¥1,035

177.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.86 ¥293

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.08 ¥327

38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.64 ¥258

-11.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$57.8 ¥9,109

-5.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.75 ¥749

-68.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$2.93 ¥461

-73.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$25.58 ¥4,028

-84.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.09 ¥172

36.70%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

23.82%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

71.33%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$138 ¥21.7K

-28.92%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$24.35 ¥3,835

-53.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$31.52 ¥4,964

-45.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$50.6 ¥7,973

34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$12.49 ¥1,967

-40.51%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$626 ¥98.6K

-15.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

21.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$26.34 ¥4,148

134.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$31.99 ¥5,039

-11.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$67.6 ¥10.6K

42.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$81.0 ¥12.8K

7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$403 ¥63.4K

79.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$264 ¥41.6K

92.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$1,028 ¥161.9K

89.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$527 ¥83.0K

165.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$4,712 ¥742.1K

-11.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$2,384 ¥375.5K

38.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$2,498 ¥393.4K

-80.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.21

152.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ibaraki: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ibaraki

$264 23.2% 48.1% $245

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ibaraki

$301 26.4% 12.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ibaraki

$193 17% 53.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ibaraki

$93 8.2% 24.1% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ibaraki

$130 11.4% 9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ibaraki

$76 6.6% 9.1% $7.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ibaraki

$84 7.3% 26.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $403 in Ibaraki. 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: $32 in Phuket vs $31 in Ibaraki. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $301, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

13:39 1:39 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

287,730

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 157 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ibaraki 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ibaraki

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

Phuket vs Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Phuket. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $403 in Ibaraki. 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, Phuket and Ibaraki are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.