Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $628 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
Learn more

Bulacan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bulacan

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $628 in Bulacan, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Bulacan $628

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $904 in Bulacan, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Bulacan $904

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,180 in Bulacan, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Bulacan $1,180

Phuket costs about 106% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Bulacan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Bulacan 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$2.34 ₱149

87.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$14.45 ₱918

123.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$1.85 ₱117

370.27%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.70 ₱108

60.00%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.45 ₱28.56

106.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.15 ₱9.60

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.13 ₱72.1

123.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.31 ₱83.2

177.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.40 ₱88.8

24.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.09 ₱69.3

33.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.90 ₱57.3

66.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.53 ₱97.4

41.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$2.36 ₱150

708.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.16 ₱201

7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$6.63 ₱422

64.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.18 ₱139

34.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.70 ₱108

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.22 ₱141

-1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.27 ₱80.9

66.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.55 ₱98.7

-5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.76 ₱112

-22.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.61 ₱38.83

77.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.35 ₱22.28

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.82 ₱243

15.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$3.48 ₱221

424.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.01 ₱64.3

75.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.37 ₱87.0

110.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.20 ₱12.79

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$6.73 ₱428

715.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.73 ₱46.47

106.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.18 ₱11.14

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.84 ₱117

108.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.20 ₱76.6

24.17%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

28.65%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

35.07%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$115 ₱7,303

-14.84%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$17.51 ₱1,114

-35.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$31.15 ₱1,980

-44.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$47.30 ₱3,007

44.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.82 ₱306

54.15%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$78.2 ₱4,971

578.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$932 ₱59.3K

1915.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$30.99 ₱1,970

99.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$32.20 ₱2,047

-12.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$62.4 ₱3,968

53.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$62.6 ₱3,978

38.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$181 ₱11.5K

298.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$116 ₱7,351

340.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$252 ₱16.0K

675.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$155 ₱9,869

799.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bulacan

$116 18.4% 77.3% $393

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bulacan

$143 22.8% 46.3% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bulacan

$164 26% 29.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bulacan

$85 13.5% 31% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bulacan

$55 8.8% 53.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bulacan

$57 9.1% 31.6% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bulacan

$9.1 1.5% 86.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $181 in Bulacan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $14 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $143 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bulacan 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 106% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $943 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulacan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $181 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $628 in Bulacan. That makes Bulacan about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bulacan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Bulacan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.