Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bayawan City Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bayawan City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,264 in Phuket versus $791 in Bayawan City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,256 in Phuket versus $1,273 in Bayawan City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,248 in Phuket versus $1,755 in Bayawan City.

Living in Phuket is roughly 60% more expensive than in Bayawan City, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Bayawan City 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ฿150

$4.41 ₱270

1.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.59 ฿1,521

$23.63 ₱1,447

92.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿292

$4.42 ₱270

98.19%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ฿99.0

$2.52 ₱155

17.86%

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

$0.69 ฿22.90

$0.84 ₱51.3

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.04

$0.45 ₱27.78

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.4

$1.53 ₱93.7

65.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿125

$2.09 ₱128

79.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ฿71.6

$1.91 ₱117

12.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿60.6

$1.51 ₱92.7

20.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.81 ₱49.41

169.14%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.0

$2.29 ₱140

-1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.00 ฿667

$13.12 ₱803

52.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿121

$5.32 ₱325

-31.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿452

$7.79 ₱477

74.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ฿108

$3.63 ₱222

-10.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.6

$1.52 ₱93.1

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿77.8

$3.44 ₱211

-32.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.1

$2.20 ₱135

-5.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.6

$2.56 ₱157

-39.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.54

$2.57 ₱157

-43.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.86

$0.93 ₱57.2

5.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.77 ₱47.19

-37.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$3.21 ₱196

35.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.57 ฿620

$5.00 ₱306

271.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿61.9

$0.93 ₱57.2

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿88.6

$2.34 ₱143

13.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.28

$0.26 ₱15.85

446.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 ฿386

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ฿106

$0.86 ₱52.9

268.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ฿34.41

$0.23 ₱14.06

347.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 ฿463

$2.69 ₱165

416.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.84

$1.09 ₱66.6

22.94%

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

$27.8K ฿927.1K

$30.6K ₱1.9M

-9.20%

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

$33.4K ฿1.1M

$27.3K ₱1.7M

22.14%

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

$123 ฿4,105

$98.8 ₱6,049

24.52%

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

$13.77 ฿459

$33.97 ₱2,080

-59.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 ฿611

$29.85 ₱1,827

-38.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 ฿2,025

$33.77 ₱2,067

79.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿573

$4.40 ₱269

290.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿296

$1.72 ₱105

415.70%

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

$688 ฿22.9K

$232 ₱14.2K

197.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿526.4K

$3,918 ₱239.8K

302.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,978

$45.61 ₱2,792

30.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.69 ฿1,157

$22.81 ₱1,396

52.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,843

$76.1 ₱4,657

51.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ฿2,794

$54.6 ₱3,344

53.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 ฿20.7K

$263 ₱16.1K

136.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.9K

$179 ₱11.0K

148.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 ฿67.8K

$591 ₱36.2K

243.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿49.9K

$400 ₱24.5K

274.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,455 ฿115.3K

$2,618 ₱160.2K

31.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,531 ฿84.4K

$1,097 ₱67.2K

130.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$115 ₱7,038

329.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-33.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Phuket and $263 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 329% 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: $46.00 in Phuket vs $24.00 in Bayawan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $233 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Bayawan City differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,264 vs $791 including rent). Bayawan City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 329% 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: $621 in Phuket versus $263 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Phuket versus $232 in Bayawan City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $46.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $791 in Bayawan City versus $1,264 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bayawan City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.