Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandaluyong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $1,066 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,066

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,066 in Mandaluyong versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Mandaluyong $1,066
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,643 in Mandaluyong versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Mandaluyong $1,643
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,221 in Mandaluyong versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Mandaluyong $2,221
Phuket $3,154

Living in Mandaluyong costs roughly 17% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mandaluyong 22% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 ₱308

$4.47 ฿151

7.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.11 ₱1,029

$32.41 ฿1,094

-50.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.48 ₱222

$8.81 ฿297

-60.50%

Cappuccino

$2.20 ₱140

$2.83 ฿95.5

-22.26%

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

$0.96 ₱61.3

$0.87 ฿29.43

10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.49 ฿16.67

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱74.0

$2.56 ฿86.4

-54.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₱149

$3.68 ฿124

-36.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.66 ฿56.0

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ₱83.9

$1.46 ฿49.35

-10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.2

$1.50 ฿50.6

-37.33%

Eggs

$2.19 ₱140

$2.09 ฿70.5

4.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 ₱324

$19.07 ฿644

-73.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 ₱306

$3.30 ฿111

44.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 ₱435

$10.91 ฿368

-37.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱211

$2.93 ฿99.0

12.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₱121

$1.69 ฿57.1

11.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱191

$2.25 ฿75.8

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₱115

$2.08 ฿70.1

-13.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱141

$1.51 ฿51.0

46.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱164

$1.38 ฿46.56

85.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.34

$1.07 ฿35.99

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.91

$0.52 ฿17.52

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ₱179

$4.20 ฿142

-33.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.55 ₱546

$18.79 ฿634

-54.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₱56.0

$1.82 ฿61.5

-51.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱129

$2.84 ฿95.9

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₱20.59

$1.45 ฿49.03

-77.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.10 ₱837

$56.7 ฿1,913

-76.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.38

$3.02 ฿102

-74.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.38

$1.02 ฿34.36

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$3.69 ฿125

-48.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱76.5

$1.47 ฿49.81

-18.37%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-21.23%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-29.73%

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

$138 ₱8,839

$96.4 ฿3,254

43.58%

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

$17.04 ₱1,089

$11.26 ฿380

51.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.94 ₱1,530

$16.85 ฿569

42.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.69 ₱2,025

$67.2 ฿2,270

-52.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ₱385

$7.50 ฿253

-19.60%

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

$132 ₱8,429

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,937 ₱571.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-20.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.86 ₱1,780

$62.4 ฿2,106

-55.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.00 ₱1,725

$28.41 ฿959

-4.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,505

$94.3 ฿3,184

-25.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.2 ₱3,529

$85.8 ฿2,898

-35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₱46.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 ₱29.2K

$491 ฿16.6K

-6.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,395 ₱153.0K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

24.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 ₱63.6K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-30.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 ₱268.6K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

0.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,924 ₱186.8K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-3.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$537 ₱34.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

7.00%

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 Mandaluyong: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mandaluyong

$457 42.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 7.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Mandaluyong

$196 18.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 35.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandaluyong

$179 16.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 30.6% $55

Eating Out

Mandaluyong

$92 8.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Mandaluyong

$81 7.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 50% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Mandaluyong

$44 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 88% $38

Getting Around

Mandaluyong

$16 1.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 332% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $727 in Mandaluyong and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandaluyong pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Mandaluyong vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $266 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

1 h behind Mandaluyong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,758

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

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

From you

Mandaluyong
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

Mandaluyong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,066 in Mandaluyong and $1,278 in Phuket, so Mandaluyong is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Mandaluyong, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $727 in Mandaluyong versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mandaluyong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Mandaluyong and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.