Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $790 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$790

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $790 per month in Palawan vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Palawan $790
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,234 per month in Palawan vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Palawan $1,234
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,677 per month in Palawan vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Palawan $1,677
Phuket $3,115

Palawan is about 39% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Palawan and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Palawan 42% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 ₱232

$4.39 ฿148

-16.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 ₱1,249

$32.31 ฿1,090

-39.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.36 ₱213

$8.70 ฿294

-61.38%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱161

$2.72 ฿91.9

-6.62%

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

$0.77 ₱48.62

$0.93 ฿31.38

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₱23.10

$0.50 ฿16.85

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 ₱79.7

$2.53 ฿85.4

-50.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱137

$3.63 ฿122

-40.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱122

$1.74 ฿58.7

10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ₱80.4

$1.45 ฿48.93

-12.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱63.1

$1.50 ฿50.7

-34.00%

Eggs

$2.01 ₱127

$2.17 ฿73.3

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 ₱521

$19.09 ฿644

-57.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱274

$3.40 ฿115

27.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.92 ₱503

$10.90 ฿368

-27.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ₱185

$2.94 ฿99.2

-1.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₱96.7

$1.69 ฿57.1

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₱164

$2.19 ฿74.0

17.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱103

$2.12 ฿71.6

-23.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 ₱145

$1.46 ฿49.19

56.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₱165

$1.37 ฿46.14

89.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₱70.9

$1.08 ฿36.29

3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₱48.28

$0.55 ฿18.40

38.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱185

$4.43 ฿149

-34.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 ₱433

$18.25 ฿616

-62.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱76.4

$1.77 ฿59.8

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱128

$2.88 ฿97.2

-29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.84

$1.45 ฿48.82

-80.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.44 ₱726

$54.9 ฿1,851

-79.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.6

$1.51 ฿51.0

-46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.25

$0.78 ฿26.17

-69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.07 ₱132

$3.84 ฿129

-46.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.9

$1.49 ฿50.2

-26.17%

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

$26.3K ₱1.7M

$26.9K ฿906.7K

-2.34%

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

$20.5K ₱1.3M

$26.3K ฿888.6K

-22.03%

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

$113 ₱7,187

$97.8 ฿3,299

15.74%

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

$32.79 ₱2,082

$11.29 ฿381

190.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 ₱1,745

$17.19 ฿580

59.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.54 ₱2,129

$68.3 ฿2,305

-50.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 ₱285

$10.92 ฿368

-58.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.89 ₱374

$7.43 ฿251

-20.73%

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

$151 ₱9,564

$530 ฿17.9K

-71.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,259 ₱270.4K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-77.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.62 ₱2,896

$61.7 ฿2,080

-26.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.90 ₱1,708

$28.25 ฿953

-4.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 ₱4,844

$96.0 ฿3,238

-20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 ₱3,350

$86.8 ฿2,928

-39.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 ₱16.2K

$721 ฿24.3K

-64.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₱11.2K

$509 ฿17.2K

-65.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 ₱36.7K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-70.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 ₱25.1K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-71.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,318 ₱147.2K

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-44.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ₱69.7K

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-66.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Palawan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$205 26%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 30% $62

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$176 22.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 190% $333

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 27.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$91 11.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 35.3% $32

Eating Out

Palawan

$85 10.7%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 40.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$45 5.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 83.5% $38

Getting Around

Palawan

$15 1.9%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 353% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $256 in Palawan versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Palawan versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $267 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

1 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palawan Phuket 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

Palawan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,185 per month in Palawan and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $151 per month in Palawan and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $790, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Palawan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 39% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.