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: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,178 in Ibaraki.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,848 in Ibaraki.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $2,518 in Ibaraki.

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Ibaraki, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Ibaraki 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$6.63 ¥1,034

-33.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,077

$31.89 ¥4,975

1.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿298

$5.30 ¥827

68.49%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.6

$3.13 ¥488

-7.35%

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

$0.88 ฿29.38

$1.16 ¥181

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.76 ¥119

-36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

$2.53 ¥395

-7.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$3.22 ¥502

15.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.3

$2.80 ¥437

-33.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.94

$1.55 ¥242

-5.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.8

$4.34 ¥678

-64.29%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.1

$2.10 ¥328

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿654

$11.19 ¥1,746

75.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$6.62 ¥1,033

-48.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿380

$17.37 ¥2,711

-34.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$4.90 ¥765

-39.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$2.35 ¥366

-28.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.7

$3.17 ¥495

-30.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.1

$4.33 ¥675

-50.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.53 ¥394

-39.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.67

$2.42 ¥378

-44.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.67

$1.28 ¥200

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.81 ¥127

-32.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.78 ¥590

12.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

$7.54 ¥1,177

153.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$1.84 ¥287

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.21 ¥345

25.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.4

$1.66 ¥258

34.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

$58.7 ¥9,159

-61.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$4.80 ¥749

-36.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.15

$2.85 ¥444

-64.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$19.73 ¥3,079

-80.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.77

$1.17 ¥182

27.35%

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

$26.6K ฿887.3K

$22.3K ¥3.5M

19.05%

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

$27.0K ฿902.2K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

75.70%

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

$102 ฿3,420

$134 ¥20.8K

-23.24%

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

$11.33 ฿378

$24.24 ¥3,783

-53.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿581

$31.64 ¥4,936

-45.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,738

$52.1 ¥8,121

0.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿370

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$11.94 ¥1,863

-35.59%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$552 ¥86.1K

1.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.1K

$14.0K ¥2.2M

-17.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,104

$26.82 ¥4,185

135.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿986

$33.01 ¥5,150

-10.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,272

$67.7 ¥10.6K

44.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,954

$80.4 ¥12.6K

10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$405 ¥63.3K

82.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$265 ¥41.4K

81.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.3K

$1,034 ¥161.3K

103.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.9K

$541 ¥84.4K

126.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.7K

$4,081 ¥636.8K

-11.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.9K

$2,033 ¥317.3K

28.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$2,572 ¥401.2K

-80.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.09

166.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Ibaraki: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $405 in Ibaraki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays 421% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $32.00 in Ibaraki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $317 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 5% in total monthly costs ($1,232 vs $1,178 including rent). Ibaraki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 421% 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: $738 in Phuket versus $405 in Ibaraki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 16% 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 $32.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,178 in Ibaraki versus $1,232 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 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.