Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $898 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Pasay, Philippines
Phuket, Thailand
Pasay
🇵🇭 Philippines
$898
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $898 per month in Pasay vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Pasay $898
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,224 per month in Pasay vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Pasay $1,224
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,551 per month in Pasay vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Pasay $1,551
  • Phuket $3,154

Pasay is about 30% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pasay and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Pasay 34% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ₱280
$4.47 ฿151
-1.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.79 ₱1,197
$32.41 ฿1,093
-42.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.79 ₱178
$8.81 ฿297
-68.33%
Cappuccino
$2.12 ₱135
$2.83 ฿95.4
-25.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₱37.36
$0.87 ฿29.41
-32.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₱21.24
$0.49 ฿16.65
-32.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.15 ₱73.5
$2.56 ฿86.3
-55.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱98.0
$3.68 ฿124
-58.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 ₱104
$1.66 ฿55.9
-1.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 ₱74.1
$1.46 ฿49.31
-20.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.02 ₱65.1
$1.50 ฿50.5
-32.00%
Eggs
$1.83 ₱117
$2.09 ฿70.5
-12.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.97 ₱316
$19.07 ฿643
-73.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.23 ₱270
$3.30 ฿111
28.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.83 ₱435
$10.91 ฿368
-37.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.19 ₱140
$2.93 ฿98.9
-25.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₱99.5
$1.69 ฿57.0
-7.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ₱149
$2.25 ฿75.8
4.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.11 ₱70.6
$2.08 ฿70.0
-46.63%
Potato (1kg)
$2.33 ₱148
$1.51 ฿51.0
54.30%
Onion (1kg)
$3.27 ₱208
$1.38 ฿46.52
136.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.23 ₱78.2
$1.07 ฿35.96
14.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 ₱54.2
$0.52 ฿17.51
63.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.96 ₱188
$4.20 ฿142
-29.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.56 ₱482
$18.79 ฿634
-59.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ₱56.1
$1.82 ฿61.5
-51.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 ₱110
$2.84 ฿95.8
-39.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₱12.46
$1.45 ฿48.98
-86.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.80 ₱51.2
$3.02 ฿102
-73.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.37
$1.02 ฿34.33
-79.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.89 ₱120
$3.69 ฿125
-48.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ₱78.4
$1.47 ฿49.76
-16.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K ₱1.3M
$26.8K ฿903.4K
-23.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K ₱1.2M
$26.7K ฿900.5K
-27.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 ₱8,867
$96.4 ฿3,251
44.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.40 ₱918
$11.26 ฿380
27.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.03 ₱1,531
$16.85 ฿568
42.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.26 ₱3,011
$67.2 ฿2,268
-29.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.99 ₱318
$7.50 ฿253
-33.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$70.6 ₱4,499
$476 ฿16.1K
-85.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,430 ₱154.9K
$11.3K ฿380.0K
-78.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.90 ₱2,224
$62.4 ฿2,104
-44.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.11 ₱1,218
$28.41 ฿958
-32.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.2 ₱4,475
$94.3 ฿3,181
-25.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62.5 ₱3,985
$85.8 ฿2,895
-27.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ₱27.2K
$716 ฿24.2K
-40.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$312 ₱19.9K
$491 ฿16.6K
-36.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$828 ₱52.7K
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-57.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$366 ₱23.3K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-74.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,864 ₱118.8K
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-55.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$567 ₱36.1K
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-81.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pasay
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$512 ₱32.6K
$502 ฿16.9K
1.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7
5.57
25.67%

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

Last update for Pasay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Pasay
$312
Phuket
$491 57.2% $179
Groceries & Markets
Pasay
$183
Phuket
$266 45.7% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pasay
$178
Phuket
$124 29.9% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Pasay
$84
Phuket
$122 45% $38
Eating Out
Pasay
$81
Phuket
$122 49.5% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Pasay
$57
Phuket
$82 43.7% $25
Getting Around
Pasay
$2.6 *
Phuket
$71 2584% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $427 in Pasay 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Pasay versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $266 – making Pasay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Pasay
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
00:28 12:28 AM
23:28 11:28 PM
1 h behind Pasay
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
416,522
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pasay Phuket 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Pasay
  • 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
Pasay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Pasay and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $898 in Pasay, $1,278 in Phuket – Pasay comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Pasay compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,347 per month in Pasay and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Pasay and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Pasay and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 46% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pasay, where all-in costs run around $898, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Pasay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Pasay or Phuket?
Families tend to lean toward Pasay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Pasay or Phuket safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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