Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baguio

For one person, living is cheaper in Baguio: $737 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Baguio
Learn more

Baguio Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Baguio

🇵🇭 Philippines

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baguio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $737 in Baguio.

Phuket $1,278
Baguio $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,148 in Baguio.

Phuket $2,216
Baguio $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,558 in Baguio.

Phuket $3,154
Baguio $1,558

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than in Baguio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Baguio 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.92 ₱250

14.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.66 ₱1,061

94.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.73 ₱174

222.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.80 ₱114

57.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.55 ₱35.10

58.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.33 ₱21.21

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.99 ₱63.4

158.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.54 ₱97.9

138.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 ₱101

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.14 ₱72.9

28.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.97 ₱61.5

54.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.99 ₱127

5.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.11 ₱325

273.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.27 ₱208

0.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.63 ₱486

42.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.19 ₱139

33.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.55 ₱99.0

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.26 ₱144

-0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.02 ₱64.9

103.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.73 ₱110

-12.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.69 ₱108

-18.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.65 ₱41.11

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.51 ₱32.64

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.94 ₱187

42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.50 ₱541

121.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.95 ₱60.3

91.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.05 ₱131

38.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.22 ₱14.01

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.90 ₱822

339.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 ₱51.7

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.24 ₱15.35

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.90 ₱121

94.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.19 ₱76.0

23.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

25.95%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

42.09%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$136 ₱8,657

-29.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.08 ₱1,088

-34.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.01 ₱1,465

-26.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$20.76 ₱1,322

223.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.23 ₱333

105.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.03 ₱321

49.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$132 ₱8,438

259.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.6K ₱672.0K

6.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$28.91 ₱1,841

115.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$19.53 ₱1,244

45.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$71.5 ₱4,554

31.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$54.9 ₱3,496

56.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$393 ₱25.1K

81.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$192 ₱12.2K

155.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$819 ₱52.2K

135.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$463 ₱29.5K

209.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,156 ₱201.0K

32.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,526 ₱97.2K

99.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$179 ₱11.4K

180.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baguio: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Baguio

$192 26.1% 60.8% $299

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Baguio

$171 23.2% 35.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Baguio

$176 23.9% 41.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baguio

$79 10.7% 35.5% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baguio

$73 9.9% 40.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Baguio

$31 4.2% 62.5% $51

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Baguio

$16 2.1% 77.6% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $393 in Baguio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in Baguio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $171 per month, with Baguio cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Baguio

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

366,358

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Baguio 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Baguio

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 Baguio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baguio wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baguio the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.8 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: $716 in Phuket versus $393 in Baguio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $737 in Baguio – Baguio is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Baguio runs roughly 77% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Baguio are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Baguio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.