Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotabato City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $738 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Cotabato City versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cotabato City $738
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Cotabato City versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cotabato City $1,139
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,539 in Cotabato City versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cotabato City $1,539
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cotabato City costs roughly 42% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cotabato City 46% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 ₱307

$4.47 ฿151

7.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₱1,031

$32.41 ฿1,094

-50.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 ₱254

$8.81 ฿297

-54.94%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ₱139

$2.83 ฿95.5

-23.32%

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

$1.06 ₱67.6

$0.87 ฿29.43

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.75

$0.49 ฿16.67

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₱73.1

$2.56 ฿86.4

-55.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₱133

$3.68 ฿124

-43.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ₱128

$1.66 ฿56.0

21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.8

$1.46 ฿49.35

-26.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₱48.19

$1.50 ฿50.6

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.90 ₱121

$2.09 ฿70.5

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 ₱411

$19.07 ฿644

-66.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ₱293

$3.30 ฿111

39.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₱603

$10.91 ฿368

-13.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ₱176

$2.93 ฿99.0

-5.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₱70.0

$1.69 ฿57.1

-34.91%

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)

$3.30 ₱211

$1.38 ฿46.56

139.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.9

$1.07 ฿35.99

15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱42.15

$0.52 ฿17.52

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.40 ₱154

$4.20 ฿142

-42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ₱513

$18.79 ฿634

-57.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.9

$1.82 ฿61.5

-30.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₱105

$2.84 ฿95.9

-42.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.98

$1.45 ฿49.03

-84.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.32 ₱723

$56.7 ฿1,913

-80.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.30

$3.02 ฿102

-74.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.97

$1.02 ฿34.36

-78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$3.69 ฿125

-49.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.2

$1.47 ฿49.81

-25.17%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-22.25%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-29.69%

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

$108 ₱6,875

$96.4 ฿3,254

11.68%

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

$18.43 ₱1,178

$11.26 ฿380

63.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.97 ₱1,978

$16.85 ฿569

83.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.96 ₱1,978

$67.2 ฿2,270

-53.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.25 ₱335

$10.73 ฿362

-51.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 ₱302

$7.50 ฿253

-36.93%

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

$105 ₱6,684

$476 ฿16.1K

-78.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,282 ₱465.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-35.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.48 ₱2,075

$62.4 ฿2,106

-47.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.49 ₱1,246

$28.41 ฿959

-31.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₱4,438

$94.3 ฿3,184

-26.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.5 ₱3,862

$85.8 ฿2,898

-29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 ₱14.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-68.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 ₱9,753

$491 ฿16.6K

-68.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₱28.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-76.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₱21.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-76.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 ₱172.0K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-35.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 ₱64.1K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-67.05%

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 Cotabato City: 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

Cotabato City

$199 26.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotabato City

$157 21.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 20.7% $33

Accommodation & Living

Cotabato City

$153 20.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 222% $338

Eating Out

Cotabato City

$93 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cotabato City

$82 11.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 48.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cotabato City

$40 5.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 104% $42

Getting Around

Cotabato City

$14 1.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 403% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Cotabato City and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Cotabato City vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $266 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

1 h behind Cotabato City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,079

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 = 2.66 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 = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cotabato City Phuket 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotabato City
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

Cotabato City vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotabato City wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,107 in Cotabato City 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $224 in Cotabato City versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $738 per month in Cotabato City versus $1,278 in Phuket – Cotabato City is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 80% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

Expats usually find Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.