Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabanatuan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $601 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Cabanatuan
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Cabanatuan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Cabanatuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$601

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $601 per month in Cabanatuan vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Cabanatuan $601
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $954 per month in Cabanatuan vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Cabanatuan $954
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,308 per month in Cabanatuan vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Cabanatuan $1,308
Phuket $3,115

Cabanatuan is about 54% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cabanatuan and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Cabanatuan 56% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 ₱246

$4.39 ฿148

-11.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.59 ₱1,055

$32.31 ฿1,086

-48.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱172

$8.70 ฿293

-68.85%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ₱111

$2.72 ฿91.6

-36.03%

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

$0.60 ₱38.00

$0.93 ฿31.28

-35.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.20

$0.50 ฿16.79

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$2.53 ฿85.1

-62.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱102

$3.63 ฿122

-55.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.74 ฿58.5

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.5

$1.45 ฿48.77

-23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ₱55.7

$1.50 ฿50.5

-41.33%

Eggs

$2.04 ₱130

$2.17 ฿73.0

-5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.87 ₱309

$19.09 ฿642

-74.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱209

$3.40 ฿114

-3.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.57 ₱481

$10.90 ฿366

-30.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱144

$2.94 ฿98.9

-23.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.9

$1.69 ฿56.9

-38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ₱152

$2.19 ฿73.8

9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.81 ₱51.5

$2.12 ฿71.4

-61.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.46 ฿49.03

12.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ₱109

$1.37 ฿45.99

24.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₱56.3

$1.08 ฿36.17

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.96

$0.55 ฿18.34

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱186

$4.43 ฿149

-33.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.71 ₱554

$18.25 ฿614

-52.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₱55.7

$1.77 ฿59.6

-50.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱131

$2.88 ฿96.8

-28.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.28

$1.45 ฿48.66

-83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 ₱789

$54.9 ฿1,845

-77.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.3

$1.51 ฿50.9

-46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.75

$0.78 ฿26.08

-74.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱118

$3.84 ฿129

-51.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₱60.5

$1.49 ฿50.0

-36.24%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$26.9K ฿903.7K

-20.59%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-26.79%

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

$52.5 ₱3,335

$97.8 ฿3,288

-46.38%

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

$17.00 ₱1,081

$11.29 ฿380

50.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.22 ₱1,349

$17.19 ฿578

23.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.94 ₱695

$68.3 ฿2,297

-83.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.15 ₱327

$10.92 ฿367

-52.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 ₱321

$7.43 ฿250

-32.03%

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

$132 ₱8,365

$530 ฿17.8K

-75.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱682.1K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-42.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.07 ₱1,467

$61.7 ฿2,073

-62.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 ₱1,227

$28.25 ฿950

-31.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ₱3,674

$96.0 ฿3,228

-39.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 ₱3,549

$86.8 ฿2,919

-35.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$250 ₱15.9K

$721 ฿24.2K

-65.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ₱10.4K

$509 ฿17.1K

-67.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 ₱30.8K

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-75.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₱22.2K

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-75.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,631 ₱167.3K

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-37.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ₱69.9K

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-66.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$159 ₱10.1K

$492 ฿16.5K

-67.71%

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 Cabanatuan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cabanatuan

$168 28%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 58.9% $99

Accommodation & Living

Cabanatuan

$164 27.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 210% $345

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabanatuan

$91 15.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 39.3% $36

Eating Out

Cabanatuan

$72 11.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 66.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Cabanatuan

$70 11.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 74.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cabanatuan

$21 3.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 295% $62

Getting Around

Cabanatuan

$15 2.5%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 336% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $250 in Cabanatuan versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Cabanatuan versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $267 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cabanatuan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h behind Cabanatuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,231

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cabanatuan Phuket 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cabanatuan
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

Cabanatuan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $601 in Cabanatuan, $1,294 in Phuket – Cabanatuan comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $901 per month in Cabanatuan and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17 in Cabanatuan and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $601 in Cabanatuan and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Cabanatuan about 54% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cabanatuan, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Cabanatuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabanatuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.