Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ichihara

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Ichihara: $1,278 and $1,264 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ichihara

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 Ichihara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,264 in Ichihara.

Phuket $1,278
Ichihara $1,264

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,001 in Ichihara.

Phuket $2,216
Ichihara $2,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,738 in Ichihara.

Phuket $3,154
Ichihara $2,738

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Ichihara; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ichihara 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.46 ¥1,019

-30.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$41.72 ¥6,579

-22.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.19 ¥818

69.75%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.47 ¥547

-18.44%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.06 ¥167

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.78 ¥123

-37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.50 ¥394

2.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.12 ¥492

17.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.43 ¥226

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.72 ¥271

-15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.56 ¥561

-57.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.00 ¥315

4.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.21 ¥1,611

86.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.17 ¥973

-46.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.69 ¥2,317

-25.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$5.67 ¥894

-48.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.83 ¥446

-40.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.81 ¥442

-19.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.11 ¥648

-49.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.56 ¥404

-41.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.65 ¥418

-47.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.28 ¥202

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.76 ¥120

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.74 ¥590

12.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.26 ¥987

200.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.75 ¥276

4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.10 ¥332

35.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.24 ¥196

16.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$50.1 ¥7,895

13.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.12 ¥492

-3.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.63 ¥415

-61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$20.56 ¥3,242

-82.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.12 ¥176

31.25%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

24.25%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.9K ¥2.5M

68.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$134 ¥21.2K

-28.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.21 ¥3,818

-53.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.75 ¥5,007

-46.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$48.44 ¥7,639

38.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.87 ¥2,029

-41.72%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$837 ¥131.9K

-43.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

-25.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$63.3 ¥9,974

-1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$36.37 ¥5,735

-21.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$62.8 ¥9,905

50.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$102 ¥16.1K

-16.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$501 ¥79.0K

42.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$385 ¥60.7K

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$878 ¥138.5K

119.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$806 ¥127.1K

77.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,196 ¥661.6K

-0.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,521 ¥397.5K

20.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.64

110.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ichihara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ichihara

$385 30.4% 21.6% $106

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ichihara

$289 22.9% 8.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ichihara

$190 15.1% 52.8% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ichihara

$119 9.4% 2.3% $2.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ichihara

$135 10.7% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ichihara

$74 5.9% 9.8% $8

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ichihara

$71 5.6% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $501 in Ichihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Ichihara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $289 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

269,524

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Ichihara 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ichihara

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 Ichihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,896 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: $716 in Phuket versus $501 in Ichihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ichihara runs roughly 12% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Ichihara 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.