Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dumaguete and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $791 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$791

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in Dumaguete versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Dumaguete $791
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Dumaguete versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Dumaguete $1,202
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,612 in Dumaguete versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Dumaguete $1,612
Phuket $2,867

Living in Dumaguete costs roughly 34% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dumaguete 41% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ₱242

$4.58 ฿153

-15.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ₱1,020

$32.48 ฿1,086

-50.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.17 ₱262

$8.55 ฿286

-51.23%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$2.72 ฿91.0

-16.54%

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

$0.72 ₱45.42

$0.94 ฿31.25

-23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ₱27.45

$0.49 ฿16.39

-10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₱84.2

$2.59 ฿86.6

-48.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱117

$3.83 ฿128

-51.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.74 ฿58.1

-7.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ₱83.9

$1.43 ฿47.82

-6.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.6

$1.53 ฿51.0

-37.91%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$2.17 ฿72.7

-19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 ₱528

$19.15 ฿640

-56.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 ₱277

$3.30 ฿110

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 ₱441

$11.14 ฿372

-37.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$2.95 ฿98.5

-44.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ₱82.0

$1.68 ฿56.1

-22.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$2.30 ฿76.8

52.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$2.13 ฿71.3

-41.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$1.53 ฿51.1

58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$1.36 ฿45.55

15.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₱49.58

$1.12 ฿37.44

-29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.27

$0.55 ฿18.24

-1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₱146

$4.26 ฿142

-45.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.84 ₱557

$18.19 ฿608

-51.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.7

$1.74 ฿58.2

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱79.1

$2.79 ฿93.3

-54.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.84

$2.22 ฿74.1

-81.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.09 ₱635

$22.06 ฿737

-54.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.64

$2.91 ฿97.3

-76.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₱10.41

$1.01 ฿33.79

-83.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₱138

$3.83 ฿128

-42.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱66.7

$1.49 ฿49.85

-28.86%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-21.71%

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

$24.1K ₱1.5M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-9.65%

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

$67.1 ₱4,227

$99.4 ฿3,321

-32.43%

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

$10.05 ₱632

$11.28 ฿377

-10.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.78 ₱1,623

$17.36 ฿580

48.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.76 ₱1,496

$52.3 ฿1,747

-54.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.06 ₱256

$10.85 ฿362

-62.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 ₱455

$7.57 ฿253

-4.49%

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

$57.8 ₱3,639

$558 ฿18.7K

-89.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,698 ₱106.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-85.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 ₱5,945

$62.9 ฿2,102

50.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 ₱2,022

$28.58 ฿955

12.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₱6,429

$96.1 ฿3,213

6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₱7,053

$88.1 ฿2,943

27.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$729 ฿24.4K

-67.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 ₱13.0K

$460 ฿15.4K

-55.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-79.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-70.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,082 ₱194.0K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-10.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$693 ₱43.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-72.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 ₱17.4K

$493 ฿16.5K

-44.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.67%

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

Last update for Dumaguete: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dumaguete

$207 26.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 122% $253

Groceries & Markets

Dumaguete

$191 24.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 40.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Dumaguete

$153 19.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dumaguete

$103 13%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 24.3% $25

Eating Out

Dumaguete

$86 10.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 41.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Dumaguete

$38 4.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 76.4% $29

Getting Around

Dumaguete

$13 1.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 194% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $238 in Dumaguete and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 79% 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: $16.00 in Dumaguete vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $268 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h behind Dumaguete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,103

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 18, 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 18, 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

Dumaguete Phuket 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dumaguete
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

Dumaguete vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dumaguete and Phuket differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($791 vs $1,207 including rent). Dumaguete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $238 in Dumaguete versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $791 per month in Dumaguete versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 119% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $791 in Dumaguete versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Safety-wise, Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.