Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
Learn more

Boracay Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Boracay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $772 in Boracay.

Phuket $1,207
Boracay $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,313 in Boracay.

Phuket $2,037
Boracay $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,854 in Boracay.

Phuket $2,867
Boracay $1,854

Living in Phuket is roughly 56% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Boracay 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$5.73 ₱360

-20.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,090

$19.15 ₱1,201

69.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$5.94 ₱373

43.94%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.4

$2.37 ₱149

14.77%

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

$0.94 ฿31.38

$0.70 ₱43.61

34.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.46

$0.23 ₱14.38

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$1.16 ₱72.7

123.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$1.92 ₱120

99.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.95 ₱185

-41.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.02

$0.98 ₱61.6

45.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$0.89 ₱56.1

71.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.93 ₱121

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

$5.13 ₱322

273.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.78 ₱300

-30.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$7.28 ₱457

53.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.9

$2.51 ₱158

17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.59 ₱100

5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$2.21 ₱139

4.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$1.08 ₱67.7

97.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$2.11 ₱133

-27.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.74

$2.02 ₱127

-32.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.60

$0.99 ₱62.2

13.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

$0.57 ₱35.70

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$2.28 ₱143

86.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$7.76 ₱487

134.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$0.96 ₱60.3

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.7

$1.75 ₱110

59.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

$0.24 ₱15.04

825.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

$11.23 ₱704

96.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

$0.66 ₱41.36

340.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.94

$0.23 ₱14.12

339.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.94 ₱122

97.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.11 ₱69.4

34.23%

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

$26.7K ฿895.4K

$23.7K ₱1.5M

12.75%

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

$26.7K ฿896.4K

$22.0K ₱1.4M

21.25%

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

$99.4 ฿3,335

$111 ₱6,952

-10.35%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$14.23 ₱892

-20.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

$33.84 ₱2,123

-48.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,755

$29.95 ₱1,879

74.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

$5.12 ₱321

111.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$5.26 ₱330

43.92%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$136 ₱8,558

309.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.5K

$8,041 ₱504.3K

42.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

$36.09 ₱2,263

74.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

$19.21 ₱1,205

48.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

$75.8 ₱4,755

26.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,955

$59.1 ₱3,709

48.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$268 ₱16.8K

172.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$174 ₱10.9K

164.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

$523 ₱32.8K

300.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

$614 ₱38.5K

99.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.1K

$2,441 ₱153.1K

41.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

$979 ₱61.4K

154.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$229 ₱14.4K

115.21%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Boracay

$174 22.5% 62.2% $286

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Boracay

$193 25% 27.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Boracay

$159 20.6% 24.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Boracay

$86 11.1% 31% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Boracay

$105 13.7% 13% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Boracay

$40 5.3% 40% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Boracay

$14 1.8% 64.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $268 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 115% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $19.00 in Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $193 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,296

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.19 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Boracay 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Boracay differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $772 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 115% 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: $729 in Phuket versus $268 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $772 in Boracay versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay 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 Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.