Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $729 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$729

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albay and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $729 in Albay versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Albay $729
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,108 in Albay versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Albay $1,108
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,487 in Albay versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Albay $1,487
Phuket $2,845

Living in Albay costs roughly 40% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Albay 46% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.78 ₱242

$4.40 ฿149

-14.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.81 ₱1,074

$32.26 ฿1,090

-47.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱180

$8.76 ฿296

-67.81%

Cappuccino

$2.19 ₱140

$2.83 ฿95.5

-22.61%

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

$0.63 ₱40.22

$0.90 ฿30.48

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.13

$0.47 ฿15.74

-29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.12 ₱71.7

$2.55 ฿86.1

-56.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱127

$3.83 ฿129

-48.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱103

$1.73 ฿58.3

-6.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱71.8

$1.47 ฿49.65

-23.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₱61.4

$1.51 ฿51.1

-36.42%

Eggs

$1.88 ₱120

$2.17 ฿73.5

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.70 ₱365

$19.70 ฿666

-71.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱269

$3.34 ฿113

26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 ₱445

$11.16 ฿377

-37.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ₱149

$2.85 ฿96.1

-18.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱99.7

$1.70 ฿57.6

-8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱155

$2.19 ฿74.1

10.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱75.1

$2.05 ฿69.1

-42.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 ₱123

$1.45 ฿49.10

33.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 ₱125

$1.38 ฿46.67

42.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ₱62.4

$1.07 ฿36.09

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.46

$0.51 ฿17.10

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.90 ₱186

$4.26 ฿144

-31.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.69 ₱491

$18.58 ฿628

-58.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.4

$1.78 ฿60.3

-46.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₱125

$2.85 ฿96.2

-31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.19

$2.26 ฿76.5

-89.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.21 ₱717

$22.10 ฿747

-49.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.17

$3.01 ฿102

-75.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.72

$1.06 ฿35.73

-78.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$3.86 ฿130

-50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱79.1

$1.45 ฿48.99

-14.48%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$26.3K ฿889.6K

-19.42%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿910.4K

-29.78%

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

$124 ₱7,929

$96.4 ฿3,257

28.70%

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

$15.06 ₱963

$11.04 ฿373

36.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.69 ₱1,578

$17.14 ฿579

44.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.74 ₱2,093

$52.2 ฿1,763

-37.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.58 ₱293

$11.16 ฿377

-58.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 ₱335

$7.81 ฿264

-32.91%

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

$131 ₱8,392

$556 ฿18.8K

-76.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,896 ₱504.8K

$11.6K ฿391.3K

-31.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.24 ₱2,125

$64.2 ฿2,169

-48.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.61 ₱1,254

$28.69 ฿969

-31.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 ₱4,500

$95.4 ฿3,222

-26.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 ₱3,596

$88.0 ฿2,973

-36.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₱16.7K

$737 ฿24.9K

-64.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.9K

$462 ฿15.6K

-63.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 ₱32.7K

$2,095 ฿70.8K

-75.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ₱22.5K

$1,201 ฿40.6K

-70.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,446 ₱156.4K

$3,488 ฿117.8K

-29.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$974 ₱62.3K

$2,523 ฿85.2K

-61.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₱10.3K

$501 ฿16.9K

-67.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.57

21.90%

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

Last update for Albay: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Albay

$178 24.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 50.6% $90

Accommodation & Living

Albay

$170 23.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 172% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albay

$164 22.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 23.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Albay

$81 11.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 53.9% $44

Eating Out

Albay

$78 10.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 54.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Albay

$43 5.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 56.8% $25

Getting Around

Albay

$14 1.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 181% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $261 in Albay and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Albay vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $269 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Albay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

22:14 10:14 PM

1 h behind Albay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,481

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 63.93 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.73 PHP (100 PHP = 1.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.79 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.91 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Albay Phuket 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Albay
Phuket

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

Albay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albay and Phuket differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($729 vs $1,208 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in Albay. 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: $261 in Albay versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $17 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $729 in Albay versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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.

Expats usually find Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.