Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muntinlupa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Muntinlupa: $727 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Muntinlupa
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Muntinlupa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Muntinlupa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $727 in Muntinlupa versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Muntinlupa $727
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,154 in Muntinlupa versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Muntinlupa $1,154
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,581 in Muntinlupa versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Muntinlupa $1,581
Phuket $3,154

Living in Muntinlupa costs roughly 43% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Muntinlupa 47% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 ₱250

$4.47 ฿151

-12.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.10 ₱1,663

$32.41 ฿1,093

-19.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$8.81 ฿297

-68.33%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ₱147

$2.83 ฿95.4

-18.37%

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

$0.92 ₱58.9

$0.87 ฿29.41

5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ₱28.95

$0.49 ฿16.65

-8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ₱75.6

$2.56 ฿86.3

-53.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₱117

$3.68 ฿124

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ₱103

$1.66 ฿55.9

-2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ₱75.7

$1.46 ฿49.31

-18.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.2

$1.50 ฿50.5

-32.00%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱126

$2.09 ฿70.5

-5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.02 ₱320

$19.07 ฿643

-73.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₱233

$3.30 ฿111

10.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.89 ₱439

$10.91 ฿368

-36.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₱146

$2.93 ฿98.9

-21.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₱95.5

$1.69 ฿57.0

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ₱161

$2.25 ฿75.8

12.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ₱78.2

$2.08 ฿70.0

-40.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$1.51 ฿51.0

11.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 ₱118

$1.38 ฿46.52

34.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱67.4

$1.07 ฿35.96

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱34.05

$0.52 ฿17.51

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱185

$4.20 ฿142

-30.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.67 ₱553

$18.79 ฿634

-53.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₱82.4

$1.82 ฿61.5

-29.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₱125

$2.84 ฿95.8

-30.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.53

$1.45 ฿48.98

-83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 ₱788

$56.7 ฿1,912

-78.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 ₱45.09

$3.02 ฿102

-76.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.68

$1.02 ฿34.33

-77.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$3.69 ฿125

-48.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱78.5

$1.47 ฿49.76

-16.33%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-20.80%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-27.69%

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

$122 ₱7,754

$96.4 ฿3,251

26.30%

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

$15.80 ₱1,007

$11.26 ฿380

40.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.08 ₱1,534

$16.85 ฿568

42.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.18 ₱1,987

$67.2 ฿2,268

-53.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.39 ₱343

$10.73 ฿362

-49.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 ₱318

$7.50 ฿253

-33.47%

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

$133 ₱8,462

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,812 ₱561.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-21.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.76 ₱2,087

$62.4 ฿2,104

-47.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.94 ₱1,207

$28.41 ฿958

-33.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ₱4,810

$94.3 ฿3,181

-19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.7 ₱3,612

$85.8 ฿2,895

-33.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 ₱17.9K

$716 ฿24.2K

-60.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 ₱10.6K

$491 ฿16.6K

-66.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 ₱31.4K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-74.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 ₱25.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-72.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,645 ₱168.6K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-36.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,105 ₱70.4K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-63.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ₱37.9K

$502 ฿16.9K

18.48%

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 Muntinlupa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Muntinlupa

$178 24.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 49.6% $88

Accommodation & Living

Muntinlupa

$166 22.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 196% $325

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muntinlupa

$162 22.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 23% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Muntinlupa

$83 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 47.3% $39

Eating Out

Muntinlupa

$83 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 47.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Muntinlupa

$41 5.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 99.8% $41

Getting Around

Muntinlupa

$15 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 364% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $281 in Muntinlupa and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muntinlupa pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Muntinlupa vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $178 vs $266 per month, with Muntinlupa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Muntinlupa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h behind Muntinlupa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

543,445

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

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

From you

Muntinlupa
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

Muntinlupa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muntinlupa wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Muntinlupa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Muntinlupa, 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: $281 in Muntinlupa versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $133 in Muntinlupa versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $727 in Muntinlupa versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Muntinlupa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Muntinlupa 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, Muntinlupa and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Muntinlupa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.