Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Albay

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $729 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Albay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Albay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $729 in Albay.

Phuket $1,208
Albay $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,108 in Albay.

Phuket $2,027
Albay $1,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,487 in Albay.

Phuket $2,845
Albay $1,487

Living in Phuket is roughly 66% more expensive than in Albay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Albay 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿149

$3.78 ₱242

16.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,090

$16.81 ₱1,074

91.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$2.82 ₱180

210.64%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.19 ₱140

29.22%

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

$0.90 ฿30.48

$0.63 ₱40.22

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.74

$0.33 ₱21.13

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.1

$1.12 ₱71.7

127.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$1.99 ₱127

92.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.3

$1.61 ₱103

7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.65

$1.12 ₱71.8

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$0.96 ₱61.4

57.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.5

$1.88 ₱120

15.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿666

$5.70 ₱365

245.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$4.21 ₱269

-20.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$6.95 ₱445

60.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$2.33 ₱149

22.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.6

$1.56 ₱99.7

8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.1

$2.42 ₱155

-9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.1

$1.17 ₱75.1

75.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.10

$1.93 ₱123

-24.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.67

$1.96 ₱125

-29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.09

$0.98 ₱62.4

9.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.10

$0.54 ₱34.46

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$2.90 ₱186

46.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿628

$7.69 ₱491

141.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.3

$0.96 ₱61.4

85.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.2

$1.95 ₱125

46.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.5

$0.24 ₱15.19

841.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿747

$11.21 ₱717

97.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$0.74 ₱47.17

306.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.73

$0.23 ₱14.72

360.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$1.93 ₱124

100.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.99

$1.24 ₱79.1

16.94%

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

$26.3K ฿889.6K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

24.10%

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

$26.9K ฿910.4K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

42.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,257

$124 ₱7,929

-22.30%

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

$11.04 ฿373

$15.06 ₱963

-26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿579

$24.69 ₱1,578

-30.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,763

$32.74 ₱2,093

59.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿377

$4.58 ₱293

143.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿264

$5.24 ₱335

49.05%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$131 ₱8,392

323.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿391.3K

$7,896 ₱504.8K

46.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,169

$33.24 ₱2,125

93.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿969

$19.61 ₱1,254

46.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,222

$70.4 ₱4,500

35.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,973

$56.3 ₱3,596

56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$261 ₱16.7K

181.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$170 ₱10.9K

171.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.8K

$512 ₱32.7K

309.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.6K

$351 ₱22.5K

241.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.8K

$2,446 ₱156.4K

42.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.2K

$974 ₱62.3K

159.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$162 ₱10.3K

209.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.79

-17.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Albay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Albay

$170 23.3% 63.2% $292

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Albay

$178 24.5% 33.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Albay

$164 22.5% 31.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Albay

$81 11.1% 35% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Albay

$78 10.8% 35.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Albay

$43 5.9% 36.2% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Albay

$14 1.9% 64.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $261 in Albay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in Albay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $178 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Albay

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

179,481

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.79 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.83 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 63.93 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Albay 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Albay

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

Phuket vs Albay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Albay differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $729 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phuket is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $737 in Phuket versus $261 in Albay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $17 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $729 in Albay versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Albay 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 Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.