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: $1,261 in Phuket versus $1,186 in Ibaraki.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Phuket versus $1,862 in Ibaraki.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,310 in Phuket versus $2,537 in Ibaraki.

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than Ibaraki, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ibaraki 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿149

$7.09 ¥1,134

-35.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 ฿1,519

$34.80 ¥5,566

33.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 ฿276

$5.25 ¥839

61.33%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ฿98.6

$3.17 ¥507

-4.42%

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

$0.69 ฿22.45

$1.05 ¥168

-34.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.92

$0.77 ¥123

-51.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ฿81.0

$2.59 ¥414

-3.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿119

$3.20 ¥512

14.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿71.0

$2.34 ¥374

-6.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ฿62.0

$1.61 ¥257

18.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ฿71.6

$3.41 ¥546

-35.48%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿72.4

$2.30 ¥368

-3.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.99 ฿651

$10.20 ¥1,632

95.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿119

$6.41 ¥1,026

-42.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 ฿432

$15.29 ¥2,446

-13.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿105

$5.29 ¥846

-38.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿55.3

$2.52 ¥403

-32.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿78.0

$4.11 ¥657

-41.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿67.7

$6.01 ¥961

-65.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿51.8

$3.02 ¥483

-47.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.31

$2.70 ¥431

-45.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.54

$1.34 ¥215

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿16.83

$0.78 ¥125

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿138

$4.19 ¥670

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿612

$8.31 ¥1,330

126.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿57.2

$2.62 ¥418

-32.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿89.8

$2.18 ¥349

26.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ฿44.32

$1.84 ¥294

-26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿370

$56.1 ¥8,973

-79.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ฿102

$5.23 ¥836

-39.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿33.74

$2.93 ¥468

-64.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 ฿448

$20.68 ¥3,308

-33.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿43.79

$1.25 ¥199

7.20%

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

$27.7K ฿901.4K

$23.4K ¥3.7M

18.25%

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

$33.9K ฿1.1M

$17.1K ¥2.7M

98.32%

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

$124 ฿4,025

$145 ¥23.3K

-15.00%

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

$13.52 ฿440

$26.69 ¥4,268

-49.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 ฿609

$34.05 ¥5,446

-45.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.8 ฿2,013

$56.7 ¥9,069

9.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿562

$13.89 ¥2,221

24.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.14 ฿298

$12.36 ¥1,976

-26.05%

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

$703 ฿22.9K

$279 ¥44.7K

151.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ฿517.0K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

20.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,937

$29.50 ¥4,718

101.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 ฿1,142

$29.65 ¥4,742

18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,754

$71.8 ¥11.5K

60.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ฿2,737

$86.4 ¥13.8K

-2.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.1K

$430 ¥68.8K

43.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 ฿14.1K

$285 ¥45.6K

51.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 ฿67.2K

$860 ¥137.6K

139.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 ฿49.2K

$571 ¥91.4K

164.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿118.7K

$4,080 ¥652.6K

-10.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,626 ฿85.5K

$2,478 ¥396.4K

5.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.5K

$2,548 ¥407.5K

-80.10%

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Ibaraki: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $430 in Ibaraki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays 403% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Ibaraki. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $322, 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 6% in total monthly costs ($1,261 vs $1,186 including rent). Ibaraki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Ibaraki earns 403% less. 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: $619 in Phuket versus $430 in Ibaraki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 10% 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 $35.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,186 in Ibaraki versus $1,261 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 6% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.