Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calbayog and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Calbayog: $723 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Calbayog, Philippines
Phuket, Thailand
Calbayog
🇵🇭 Philippines
$723
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $723 per month in Calbayog vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Calbayog $723
  • Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Calbayog vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Calbayog $1,104
  • Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Calbayog vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Calbayog $1,484
  • Phuket $3,115

Calbayog is about 44% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Calbayog and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Calbayog 47% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.02 ₱255
$4.39 ฿148
-8.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.24 ₱1,031
$32.31 ฿1,090
-49.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.76 ₱175
$8.70 ฿294
-68.28%
Cappuccino
$2.15 ₱136
$2.72 ฿91.9
-20.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₱43.35
$0.93 ฿31.38
-26.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₱19.57
$0.50 ฿16.85
-38.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.14 ₱72.4
$2.53 ฿85.4
-54.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₱134
$3.63 ฿122
-41.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 ₱102
$1.74 ฿58.7
-7.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.14 ₱72.3
$1.45 ฿48.93
-21.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 ₱61.4
$1.50 ฿50.7
-35.33%
Eggs
$1.92 ₱122
$2.17 ฿73.3
-11.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.63 ₱357
$19.09 ฿644
-70.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.15 ₱263
$3.40 ฿115
22.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.08 ₱450
$10.90 ฿368
-35.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.31 ₱147
$2.94 ฿99.2
-21.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₱99.2
$1.69 ฿57.1
-7.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ₱146
$2.19 ฿74.0
5.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.16 ₱73.7
$2.12 ฿71.6
-45.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 ₱129
$1.46 ฿49.19
39.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.22 ₱141
$1.37 ฿46.14
62.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₱69.7
$1.08 ฿36.29
1.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₱33.98
$0.55 ฿18.40
-1.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.88 ₱183
$4.43 ฿149
-34.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.54 ₱479
$18.25 ฿616
-58.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 ₱59.5
$1.77 ฿59.8
-46.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 ₱120
$2.88 ฿97.2
-34.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 ₱15.30
$1.45 ฿48.82
-83.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.58 ₱798
$54.9 ฿1,851
-77.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.78 ₱49.77
$1.51 ฿51.0
-48.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 ₱13.97
$0.78 ฿26.17
-71.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.85 ₱117
$3.84 ฿129
-51.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ₱73.4
$1.49 ฿50.2
-22.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K ₱1.3M
$26.9K ฿906.7K
-23.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K ₱1.2M
$26.3K ฿888.6K
-28.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 ₱7,510
$97.8 ฿3,299
20.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.41 ₱978
$11.29 ฿381
36.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.86 ₱1,515
$17.19 ฿580
38.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.71 ₱2,013
$68.3 ฿2,305
-53.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.15 ₱327
$10.92 ฿368
-52.84%
Cinema Ticket
$5.22 ₱331
$7.43 ฿251
-29.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$130 ₱8,242
$530 ฿17.9K
-75.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,709 ₱489.4K
$18.8K ฿633.5K
-58.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.11 ₱2,038
$61.7 ฿2,080
-47.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.07 ₱1,210
$28.25 ฿953
-32.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.6 ₱4,548
$96.0 ฿3,238
-25.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.3 ₱3,510
$86.8 ฿2,928
-36.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$250 ₱15.9K
$721 ฿24.3K
-65.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$169 ₱10.7K
$509 ฿17.2K
-66.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$487 ₱30.9K
$1,950 ฿65.8K
-75.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$352 ₱22.3K
$1,397 ฿47.1K
-74.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,619 ₱166.3K
$4,192 ฿141.4K
-37.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,124 ₱71.3K
$3,298 ฿111.3K
-65.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calbayog
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$149 ₱9,486
$492 ฿16.6K
-69.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.92
5.57
24.24%

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

Last update for Calbayog: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Calbayog
$179
Phuket
$267 49.3% $88
Accommodation & Living
Calbayog
$169
Phuket
$509 201% $340
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calbayog
$158
Phuket
$126 19.8% $31
Eating Out
Calbayog
$80
Phuket
$120 49.2% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Calbayog
$80
Phuket
$123 53.1% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Calbayog
$42
Phuket
$83 97.3% $41
Getting Around
Calbayog
$15
Phuket
$66 329% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $250 in Calbayog 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 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Calbayog versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $267 – making Calbayog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Calbayog
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
15:53 3:53 PM
14:53 2:53 PM
1 h behind Calbayog
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,851
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.17 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calbayog Phuket 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Calbayog
  • 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
Calbayog vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Calbayog cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,085 per month in Calbayog and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Calbayog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $721 in Phuket.
How do food prices compare in Calbayog and in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 49% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Calbayog or in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Calbayog and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Calbayog or in Phuket?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Calbayog, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Calbayog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Calbayog or Phuket more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Calbayog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Calbayog. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Calbayog vs other spots: cost of living compared

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