Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caloocan and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $496 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $496 per month in Caloocan vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Caloocan $496
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $665 per month in Caloocan vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Caloocan $665
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $834 per month in Caloocan vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Caloocan $834
Phuket $3,154

Caloocan is about 61% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Caloocan and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Caloocan 64% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ₱172

$4.47 ฿151

-39.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.45 ₱1,048

$32.41 ฿1,093

-49.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.26 ₱144

$8.81 ฿297

-74.35%

Cappuccino

$0.84 ₱53.3

$2.83 ฿95.4

-70.32%

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

$0.39 ₱25.07

$0.87 ฿29.41

-55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.70

$0.49 ฿16.65

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.3

$2.56 ฿86.3

-60.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₱101

$3.68 ฿124

-56.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.66 ฿55.9

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.7

$1.46 ฿49.31

-23.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱63.1

$1.50 ฿50.5

-34.00%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱114

$2.09 ฿70.5

-14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.93 ₱314

$19.07 ฿643

-74.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 ₱212

$3.30 ฿111

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 ₱490

$10.91 ฿368

-29.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ₱142

$2.93 ฿98.9

-23.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$1.69 ฿57.0

-42.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$2.25 ฿75.8

4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱66.6

$2.08 ฿70.0

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.8

$1.51 ฿51.0

-29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.38 ฿46.52

28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.39

$1.07 ฿35.96

-39.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₱29.15

$0.52 ฿17.51

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱180

$4.20 ฿142

-32.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 ₱307

$18.79 ฿634

-74.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.2

$1.82 ฿61.5

-47.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱129

$2.84 ฿95.8

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.69

$1.45 ฿48.98

-86.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱49.01

$3.02 ฿102

-74.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.97

$1.02 ฿34.33

-78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$3.69 ฿125

-49.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₱68.0

$1.47 ฿49.76

-27.21%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-20.23%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-28.17%

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

$53.6 ₱3,416

$96.4 ฿3,251

-44.37%

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

$9.42 ₱600

$11.26 ฿380

-16.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ₱1,439

$16.85 ฿568

34.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$4.82 ₱307

$67.2 ฿2,268

-92.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ₱326

$7.50 ฿253

-31.73%

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

$130 ₱8,279

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱673.2K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-6.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.20 ₱1,797

$62.4 ฿2,104

-54.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.52 ₱1,244

$28.41 ฿958

-31.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 ₱3,432

$94.3 ฿3,181

-42.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.64 ₱3,035

$85.8 ฿2,895

-44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 ₱13.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-70.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ₱7,491

$491 ฿16.6K

-76.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 ₱19.6K

$502 ฿16.9K

-38.85%

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 Caloocan: 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

Caloocan

$158 31.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 68.6% $108

Accommodation & Living

Caloocan

$118 23.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 318% $373

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caloocan

$86 17.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 45.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Caloocan

$67 13.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 81.5% $55

Eating Out

Caloocan

$50 10%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 146% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Caloocan

$15 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 446% $67

Getting Around

Caloocan

$2.7 * 0.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 2553% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Caloocan versus $716 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 run about 64% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Caloocan versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $158 vs $266 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h behind Caloocan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,661,584

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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caloocan Phuket 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Caloocan
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

Caloocan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 158% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $743 per month in Caloocan and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caloocan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Caloocan and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caloocan – 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 Caloocan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.