Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bago

For one person, living is cheaper in Bago: $688 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bago
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Bago Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bago

🇵🇭 Philippines

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bago

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 Bago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $688 in Bago.

Phuket $1,278
Bago $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,080 in Bago.

Phuket $2,216
Bago $1,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,472 in Bago.

Phuket $3,154
Bago $1,472

Living in Phuket is roughly 86% more expensive than in Bago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bago 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.40 ₱281

1.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$15.67 ₱1,000

106.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.86 ₱182

208.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.35 ₱150

20.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.69 ₱43.74

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.32 ₱20.49

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.26 ₱80.4

103.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.80 ₱115

104.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.59 ₱101

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.24 ₱79.0

17.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.92 ₱58.9

63.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.72 ₱109

21.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.11 ₱390

212.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.56 ₱291

-27.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.00 ₱447

55.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.70 ₱172

8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.38 ₱88.2

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.18 ₱139

3.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.12 ₱71.5

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.79 ₱114

-15.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$2.05 ₱131

-32.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.14 ₱72.6

-6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.52 ₱33.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.69 ₱172

56.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.84 ₱436

174.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.01 ₱64.7

80.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.68 ₱107

69.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.20 ₱12.66

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$12.19 ₱778

364.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.80 ₱50.8

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.24 ₱15.42

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$1.79 ₱115

106.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.34 ₱85.6

9.70%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$18.2K ₱1.2M

47.51%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$17.3K ₱1.1M

54.54%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$113 ₱7,188

-14.47%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.33 ₱914

-21.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.00 ₱1,404

-23.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$28.03 ₱1,789

139.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.61 ₱294

132.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.27 ₱336

42.31%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$112 ₱7,161

324.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$8,644 ₱551.5K

30.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$30.74 ₱1,962

102.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$17.38 ₱1,109

63.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$61.6 ₱3,933

52.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$58.9 ₱3,760

45.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$286 ₱18.3K

150.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$144 ₱9,177

241.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$553 ₱35.3K

248.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$357 ₱22.8K

300.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,770 ₱176.8K

50.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$968 ₱61.8K

214.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bago

$144 20.9% 70.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bago

$179 26.1% 32.6% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bago

$149 21.7% 19.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bago

$76 11% 37.7% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bago

$86 12.5% 29.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bago

$39 5.6% 53.1% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bago

$15 2.2% 78.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $286 in Bago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Bago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $179 per month, with Bago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Bago

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

191,210

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.81 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.21 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bago 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bago

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 Bago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bago is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,031 in Bago to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $286 in Bago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $112 in Bago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $688 in Bago versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bago but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bago 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 Bago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.