Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nueva Ecija and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $517 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Nueva Ecija
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Nueva Ecija Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Philippines

$517

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $517 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $517
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $912 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $912
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,307 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $1,307
Phuket $3,154

Nueva Ecija is about 60% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nueva Ecija and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Nueva Ecija 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ₱245

$4.47 ฿151

-13.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₱1,028

$32.41 ฿1,093

-50.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱173

$8.81 ฿297

-69.13%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ₱91.1

$2.83 ฿95.4

-49.47%

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

$0.55 ₱35.23

$0.87 ฿29.41

-36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.40

$0.49 ฿16.65

-38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱60.0

$2.56 ฿86.3

-63.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱98.6

$3.68 ฿124

-57.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱102

$1.66 ฿55.9

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₱59.8

$1.46 ฿49.31

-35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.9

$1.50 ฿50.5

-38.67%

Eggs

$1.57 ₱100

$2.09 ฿70.5

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 ₱312

$19.07 ฿643

-74.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$3.30 ฿111

-0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.70 ₱363

$10.91 ฿368

-47.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 ₱139

$2.93 ฿98.9

-25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₱43.88

$1.69 ฿57.0

-59.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 ₱108

$2.25 ฿75.8

-24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₱67.0

$2.08 ฿70.0

-49.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.51 ฿51.0

14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$1.38 ฿46.52

28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₱40.82

$1.07 ฿35.96

-40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₱26.44

$0.52 ฿17.51

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₱143

$4.20 ฿142

-46.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱269

$18.79 ฿634

-77.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.82 ฿61.5

-50.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱125

$2.84 ฿95.8

-30.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱18.01

$1.45 ฿48.98

-80.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.35 ₱341

$56.7 ฿1,912

-90.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.67

$3.02 ฿102

-75.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.14 ₱8.75

$1.02 ฿34.33

-86.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₱65.8

$3.69 ฿125

-72.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₱54.4

$1.47 ฿49.76

-42.18%

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

$15.8K ₱1.0M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-41.03%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-28.93%

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

$78.6 ₱5,006

$96.4 ฿3,251

-18.46%

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

$17.26 ₱1,100

$11.26 ฿380

53.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.13 ₱1,155

$16.85 ฿568

7.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 ₱1,983

$67.2 ฿2,268

-53.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ₱296

$10.73 ฿362

-56.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 ₱275

$7.50 ฿253

-42.40%

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

$133 ₱8,465

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₱692.8K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-3.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.55 ₱1,819

$62.4 ฿2,104

-54.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.54 ₱1,245

$28.41 ฿958

-31.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,489

$94.3 ฿3,181

-25.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.9 ₱3,433

$85.8 ฿2,895

-37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₱7,222

$716 ฿24.2K

-84.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$66.9 ₱4,261

$491 ฿16.6K

-86.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.1K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-90.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱22.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-75.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,619 ₱166.9K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-37.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 ₱76.5K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-60.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 ₱11.7K

$502 ฿16.9K

-63.36%

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 Nueva Ecija: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nueva Ecija

$144 27.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 85.2% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nueva Ecija

$114 22%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 9.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nueva Ecija

$78 15%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 57.1% $44

Eating Out

Nueva Ecija

$67 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 80.8% $54

Accommodation & Living

Nueva Ecija

$67 12.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 634% $424

Sport & Entertainment

Nueva Ecija

$40 7.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 107% $42

Getting Around

Nueva Ecija

$7.9 1.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 795% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $113 in Nueva Ecija versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Nueva Ecija versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $144 vs $266 – making Nueva Ecija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:53 4:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

1 h behind Nueva Ecija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,610

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

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Highest

Between locations

Nueva Ecija Phuket 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nueva Ecija
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

Nueva Ecija vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 147% more than Nueva Ecija, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $776 per month in Nueva Ecija and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nueva Ecija, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $113 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Nueva Ecija and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $517 in Nueva Ecija and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Nueva Ecija about 60% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Nueva Ecija, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Nueva Ecija it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nueva Ecija – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Nueva Ecija. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.