Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marawi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Marawi: $718 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.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
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Marawi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $718 in Marawi versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Marawi $718
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,100 in Marawi versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Marawi $1,100
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,482 in Marawi versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Marawi $1,482
Phuket $3,115

Living in Marawi costs roughly 45% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Marawi 47% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ₱252

$4.39 ฿148

-9.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.15 ₱1,025

$32.31 ฿1,090

-50.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱173

$8.70 ฿294

-68.74%

Cappuccino

$2.13 ₱135

$2.72 ฿91.9

-21.69%

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

$0.69 ₱43.55

$0.93 ฿31.39

-25.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.10

$0.50 ฿16.85

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 ₱76.3

$2.53 ฿85.4

-52.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱128

$3.63 ฿122

-44.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.74 ฿58.7

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.0

$1.45 ฿48.95

-24.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.2

$1.50 ฿50.7

-40.67%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱118

$2.17 ฿73.3

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.51 ₱350

$19.09 ฿644

-71.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱267

$3.40 ฿115

23.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 ₱453

$10.90 ฿368

-34.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ₱152

$2.94 ฿99.2

-18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.9

$1.69 ฿57.1

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱148

$2.19 ฿74.0

6.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.5

$2.12 ฿71.7

-45.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 ₱134

$1.46 ฿49.21

45.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 ₱139

$1.37 ฿46.15

59.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₱68.9

$1.08 ฿36.30

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₱35.58

$0.55 ฿18.41

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 ₱181

$4.43 ฿149

-35.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 ₱463

$18.25 ฿616

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.8

$1.77 ฿59.8

-47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₱121

$2.88 ฿97.2

-33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.26

$1.45 ฿48.84

-83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.57 ₱797

$54.9 ฿1,852

-77.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱50.5

$1.51 ฿51.0

-47.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.66

$0.78 ฿26.18

-74.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$3.84 ฿130

-51.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₱74.5

$1.49 ฿50.2

-21.48%

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

$21.3K ₱1.4M

$26.9K ฿907.0K

-20.77%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$26.3K ฿888.9K

-27.20%

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

$119 ₱7,578

$97.8 ฿3,300

22.11%

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

$15.62 ₱991

$11.29 ฿381

38.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.25 ₱1,538

$17.19 ฿580

41.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.78 ₱1,953

$68.3 ฿2,305

-54.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.09 ₱323

$10.92 ฿368

-53.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 ₱328

$7.43 ฿251

-30.42%

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

$130 ₱8,234

$530 ฿17.9K

-75.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,809 ₱495.4K

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-58.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.78 ₱2,080

$61.7 ฿2,081

-46.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.34 ₱1,227

$28.25 ฿953

-31.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ₱4,537

$96.0 ฿3,239

-25.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.6 ₱3,461

$86.8 ฿2,929

-37.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₱15.7K

$721 ฿24.3K

-65.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ₱10.4K

$509 ฿17.2K

-67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₱31.6K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-74.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ₱22.3K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-74.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 ₱167.4K

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-37.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 ₱69.1K

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-66.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 ₱17.6K

$492 ฿16.6K

-43.72%

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 Marawi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Marawi

$179 24.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 49.4% $88

Accommodation & Living

Marawi

$164 22.8%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 211% $345

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marawi

$159 22.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 20.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Marawi

$80 11.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 53% $43

Eating Out

Marawi

$80 11.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 50.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Marawi

$41 5.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 102% $42

Getting Around

Marawi

$15 2.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 331% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $248 in Marawi and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 78% 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 in Marawi vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $267 per month, with Marawi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marawi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h behind Marawi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,010

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marawi Phuket 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Marawi
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

Marawi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $718 in Marawi and $1,294 in Phuket, so Marawi is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Marawi. 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: $248 in Marawi versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $718 per month in Marawi versus $1,294 in Phuket – Marawi is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Marawi runs roughly 77% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $718 in Marawi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Marawi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Marawi 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.

Expats usually find Marawi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.