Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ichihara Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ichihara

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,258 in Ichihara.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $2,028 in Ichihara.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $2,798 in Ichihara.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 2% less than in Ichihara, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Ichihara 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$6.33 ¥988

-30.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,073

$42.48 ¥6,633

-24.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿297

$5.14 ¥803

73.74%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.3

$3.56 ¥556

-18.54%

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

$0.88 ฿29.27

$1.12 ¥175

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.00

$0.76 ¥118

-36.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.2

$2.62 ¥409

-10.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$3.22 ¥503

15.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.0

$1.47 ¥229

27.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.75

$1.79 ¥280

-17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.6

$3.78 ¥590

-58.99%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿69.9

$2.06 ¥322

1.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿651

$12.23 ¥1,910

60.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$6.12 ¥956

-44.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿378

$14.62 ¥2,283

-22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.2

$5.97 ¥932

-50.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.0

$2.89 ¥451

-41.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.5

$2.93 ¥457

-24.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿71.9

$4.35 ¥679

-50.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.70 ¥421

-43.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.49

$2.70 ¥422

-50.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.53

$1.31 ¥205

-13.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.17

$0.84 ¥131

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.93 ¥613

8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿635

$6.42 ¥1,002

197.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.2

$1.83 ¥286

-2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.5

$2.17 ¥338

28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.1

$1.52 ¥237

46.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿756

$55.9 ¥8,735

-59.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$3.17 ¥496

-4.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.02

$2.52 ¥394

-59.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿129

$20.82 ¥3,252

-81.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.57

$1.09 ¥170

36.70%

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

$26.6K ฿883.8K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

19.72%

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

$27.0K ฿898.7K

$18.5K ¥2.9M

46.39%

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

$102 ฿3,407

$137 ¥21.4K

-25.26%

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

$11.33 ฿377

$25.05 ¥3,913

-54.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿578

$33.11 ¥5,170

-47.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,732

$56.3 ¥8,788

-7.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿256

$12.99 ¥2,028

-40.80%

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

$561 ฿18.6K

$638 ¥99.7K

-12.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿382.6K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

-24.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,096

$63.1 ¥9,851

-0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿982

$33.59 ¥5,246

-12.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,259

$63.3 ¥9,879

54.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,943

$107 ¥16.7K

-17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.5K

$578 ¥90.2K

27.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.0K

$298 ¥46.5K

62.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.0K

$1,135 ¥177.2K

85.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.8K

$765 ¥119.4K

60.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.3K

$3,958 ¥618.1K

-8.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.5K

$2,013 ¥314.4K

29.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.12

162.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Ichihara: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $578 in Ichihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Ichihara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $303 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 Ichihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $1,887 in Ichihara 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: $738 in Phuket versus $578 in Ichihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $638 in Ichihara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Ichihara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,258 in Ichihara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ichihara. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ichihara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ichihara 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Ichihara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.