Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bataan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bataan: $484 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Bataan
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Bataan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bataan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bataan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $484 in Bataan.

Phuket $1,278
Bataan $484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $808 in Bataan.

Phuket $2,216
Bataan $808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,132 in Bataan.

Phuket $3,154
Bataan $1,132

Living in Phuket is roughly 164% more expensive than in Bataan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bataan 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.35 ₱86.3

231.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$16.58 ₱1,057

95.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.67 ₱170

229.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.30 ₱82.9

117.69%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.58 ₱37.03

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.22 ₱13.99

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.00 ₱63.6

156.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.55 ₱98.8

137.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.57 ₱99.8

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.10 ₱70.2

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.01 ₱64.4

48.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.75 ₱112

19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.10 ₱325

273.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.95 ₱188

11.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.61 ₱485

43.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.24 ₱143

30.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.52 ₱97.0

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.26 ₱144

-0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.06 ₱67.2

96.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.65 ₱105

-8.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.67 ₱106

-17.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.60 ₱38.27

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.52 ₱33.41

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.18 ₱139

92.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.40 ₱535

123.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.97 ₱61.5

87.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.02 ₱129

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.24 ₱15.18

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$11.16 ₱711

407.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.75 ₱47.95

302.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.24 ₱15.33

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.84 ₱117

100.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.03 ₱65.8

42.72%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

29.66%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

43.03%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$47.28 ₱3,013

103.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.49 ₱1,114

-35.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.85 ₱1,456

-26.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$31.23 ₱1,990

115.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.61 ₱358

91.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.01 ₱319

49.70%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$65.6 ₱4,179

625.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.7K ₱681.1K

5.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$27.82 ₱1,773

124.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$19.07 ₱1,215

48.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$69.2 ₱4,410

36.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$55.8 ₱3,556

53.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$161 ₱10.2K

345.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$50.0 ₱3,189

881.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$274 ₱17.5K

603.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$177 ₱11.3K

706.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,553 ₱162.7K

63.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,066 ₱67.9K

185.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$389 ₱24.8K

29.14%

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 Bataan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bataan

$50 10.3% 89.8% $441

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bataan

$168 34.7% 36.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bataan

$88 18.1% 29.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bataan

$77 16% 36.5% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bataan

$46 9.5% 62.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bataan

$41 8.5% 49.8% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bataan

$14 2.9% 80.1% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $161 in Bataan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in Bataan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $168 per month, with Bataan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Bataan

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,743

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bataan 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bataan

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 Bataan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bataan is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Phuket, 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 $161 in Bataan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bataan – 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 $484 in Bataan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bataan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bataan 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 Bataan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.