Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baguio and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
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Baguio Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baguio 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 Baguio and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Baguio versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Baguio $737
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in Baguio versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Baguio $1,148
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,558 in Baguio versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Baguio $1,558
Phuket $3,154

Living in Baguio costs roughly 42% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baguio 46% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱250

$4.47 ฿151

-12.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.66 ₱1,061

$32.41 ฿1,094

-48.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 ₱174

$8.81 ฿297

-69.01%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₱114

$2.83 ฿95.4

-36.40%

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

$0.55 ₱35.10

$0.87 ฿29.42

-36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.21

$0.49 ฿16.66

-32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.4

$2.56 ฿86.3

-61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱97.9

$3.68 ฿124

-58.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.66 ฿56.0

-4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱72.9

$1.46 ฿49.32

-21.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$1.50 ฿50.5

-35.33%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.09 ฿70.5

-4.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ₱325

$19.07 ฿643

-73.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ₱208

$3.30 ฿111

-0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱486

$10.91 ฿368

-30.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱139

$2.93 ฿98.9

-25.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱99.0

$1.69 ฿57.0

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.25 ฿75.8

0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$2.08 ฿70.1

-50.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.51 ฿51.0

14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.38 ฿46.54

22.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.11

$1.07 ฿35.97

-39.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.64

$0.52 ฿17.51

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ₱187

$4.20 ฿142

-30.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₱541

$18.79 ฿634

-54.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.3

$1.82 ฿61.5

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱131

$2.84 ฿95.9

-27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$1.45 ฿49.00

-84.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.90 ₱822

$56.7 ฿1,912

-77.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$3.02 ฿102

-73.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.35

$1.02 ฿34.34

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$3.69 ฿125

-48.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱76.0

$1.47 ฿49.78

-19.05%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-20.61%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-29.62%

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

$136 ₱8,657

$96.4 ฿3,252

41.06%

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

$17.08 ₱1,088

$11.26 ฿380

51.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 ₱1,465

$16.85 ฿569

36.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.76 ₱1,322

$67.2 ฿2,269

-69.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.23 ₱333

$10.73 ฿362

-51.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$7.50 ฿253

-32.93%

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

$132 ₱8,438

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.0K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-6.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.91 ₱1,841

$62.4 ฿2,105

-53.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.53 ₱1,244

$28.41 ฿959

-31.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,554

$94.3 ฿3,182

-24.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,496

$85.8 ฿2,896

-36.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₱25.1K

$716 ฿24.2K

-45.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ₱12.2K

$491 ฿16.6K

-60.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₱52.2K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-57.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ₱29.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-67.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,156 ₱201.0K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-24.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 ₱97.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-49.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$179 ₱11.4K

$502 ฿17.0K

-64.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baguio

$192 26.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 155% $299

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baguio

$176 23.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 29.3% $52

Groceries & Markets

Baguio

$171 23.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 55.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Baguio

$79 10.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.9% $43

Eating Out

Baguio

$73 9.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 67.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Baguio

$31 4.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 167% $51

Getting Around

Baguio

$16 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 347% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Baguio and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Baguio vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $266 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Baguio

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

07:30 7:30 AM

1 h behind Baguio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

366,358

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baguio Phuket 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baguio
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

Baguio vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Baguio. 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: $393 in Baguio versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $737 per month in Baguio versus $1,278 in Phuket – Baguio is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 77% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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, Baguio and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.