Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $569 in Butuan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Butuan $569
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $899 in Butuan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Butuan $899
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,229 in Butuan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Butuan $1,229
Phuket $3,154

Living in Butuan costs roughly 55% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butuan 58% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ₱298

$4.47 ฿151

4.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.45 ₱1,693

$32.41 ฿1,094

-18.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.32 ₱149

$8.81 ฿297

-73.67%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ₱131

$2.83 ฿95.5

-27.92%

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

$0.30 ₱19.17

$0.87 ฿29.43

-65.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.36

$0.49 ฿16.67

-51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱101

$2.56 ฿86.4

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₱152

$3.68 ฿124

-35.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱123

$1.66 ฿56.0

15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱71.1

$1.46 ฿49.35

-23.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.50 ฿50.6

-40.00%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$2.09 ฿70.5

-12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 ₱411

$19.07 ฿644

-66.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 ₱304

$3.30 ฿111

43.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ₱602

$10.91 ฿368

-13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ₱170

$2.93 ฿99.0

-9.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₱69.8

$1.69 ฿57.1

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$2.25 ฿75.8

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.7

$2.08 ฿70.1

-43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$1.51 ฿51.0

30.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 ₱218

$1.38 ฿46.56

146.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱75.5

$1.07 ฿35.99

10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.76

$0.52 ฿17.52

34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₱155

$4.20 ฿142

-42.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱491

$18.79 ฿634

-59.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.5

$1.82 ฿61.5

-30.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱103

$2.84 ฿95.9

-43.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.8

$3.02 ฿102

-73.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.40

$1.02 ฿34.36

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$3.69 ฿125

-47.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱68.1

$1.47 ฿49.81

-27.89%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-22.38%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-28.34%

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

$106 ₱6,765

$96.4 ฿3,254

9.72%

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

$18.42 ₱1,179

$11.26 ฿380

63.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ₱1,960

$16.85 ฿569

81.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.59 ₱1,509

$67.2 ฿2,270

-64.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$4.18 ₱267

$7.50 ฿253

-44.27%

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

$106 ₱6,779

$476 ฿16.1K

-77.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,473 ₱478.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-33.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ₱3,811

$62.4 ฿2,106

-4.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ₱1,929

$28.41 ฿959

6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 ₱4,417

$94.3 ฿3,184

-26.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,884

$85.8 ฿2,898

-29.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

5.57

49.19%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$198 34.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 34.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$155 27.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 19.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$99 17.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.4% $23

Eating Out

Butuan

$84 14.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 45.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$32 5.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 158% $50

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 3411% $69

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26 in Butuan vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $266 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

1 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.22 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butuan Phuket 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

Butuan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $854 in Butuan and $1,917 in Phuket 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.

Childcare runs $106 in Butuan versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Butuan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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, Butuan and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.