Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Calamba $518
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Calamba $764
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Calamba $1,010
Phuket $2,867

Living in Calamba costs roughly 57% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calamba 62% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱247

$4.58 ฿153

-14.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.02 ₱757

$32.48 ฿1,086

-62.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱178

$8.55 ฿286

-67.02%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱113

$2.72 ฿91.0

-34.19%

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

$0.56 ₱35.44

$0.94 ฿31.25

-40.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.06

$0.49 ฿16.39

-32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$2.59 ฿86.6

-63.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.7

$3.83 ฿128

-59.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.74 ฿58.1

-8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.43 ฿47.82

-22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$1.53 ฿51.0

-36.60%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$2.17 ฿72.7

-7.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$19.15 ฿640

-72.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$3.30 ฿110

3.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱491

$11.14 ฿372

-29.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$2.95 ฿98.5

-21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.68 ฿56.1

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$2.30 ฿76.8

4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$2.13 ฿71.3

-50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.53 ฿51.1

13.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.36 ฿45.55

30.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.68

$1.12 ฿37.44

-45.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$0.55 ฿18.24

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱184

$4.26 ฿142

-31.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 ₱558

$18.19 ฿608

-51.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$1.74 ฿58.2

-44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱132

$2.79 ฿93.3

-24.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$2.91 ฿97.3

-71.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$1.01 ฿33.79

-75.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$3.83 ฿128

-50.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$1.49 ฿49.85

-37.58%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-20.79%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-28.82%

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

$139 ₱8,759

$99.4 ฿3,321

40.00%

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

$17.36 ₱1,093

$11.28 ฿377

53.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$17.36 ฿580

37.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 ₱317

$7.57 ฿253

-33.42%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$558 ฿18.7K

-76.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱668.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-7.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.54 ₱1,797

$62.9 ฿2,102

-54.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.73 ₱1,242

$28.58 ฿955

-30.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,468

$96.1 ฿3,213

-26.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,482

$88.1 ฿2,943

-37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$260 ₱16.4K

$493 ฿16.5K

-47.30%

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 Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$180 34.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 29% $52

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$175 33.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 53.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$79 15.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 57.9% $46

Eating Out

Calamba

$73 14%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 66.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 1.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 569% $57

Getting Around

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 1770% $37

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 90% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $12.00 in Calamba vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $268 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

1 h behind Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calamba Phuket 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

Calamba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calamba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calamba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Calamba 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.

Expats usually find Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.