Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Butuan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Butuan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $579 in Butuan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $903 in Butuan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $1,227 in Butuan.

Living in Phuket is roughly 118% more expensive than in Butuan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Butuan 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿153

$4.69 ₱292

-0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,059

$26.84 ₱1,674

20.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿285

$2.33 ₱145

272.53%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.3

$2.12 ₱132

36.79%

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

$0.84 ฿27.75

$0.31 ₱19.11

170.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.23 ₱14.27

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿81.6

$1.56 ₱97.1

58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$2.33 ₱145

60.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.0

$1.95 ₱122

-3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.31

$1.09 ₱68.2

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.3

$0.94 ₱58.5

72.34%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿73.7

$1.93 ₱120

16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿652

$6.79 ₱423

192.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$4.30 ₱268

-19.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿374

$8.69 ₱542

30.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.3

$2.59 ₱162

11.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.7

$1.08 ₱67.2

59.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.7

$2.28 ₱142

-0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.1

$1.20 ₱75.0

77.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.49

$2.10 ₱131

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.69

$3.61 ₱225

-60.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.08

$1.19 ₱74.1

-7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.66

$0.66 ₱41.22

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.50 ₱156

72.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿612

$7.90 ₱492

135.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.2

$1.24 ₱77.3

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿97.5

$1.53 ₱95.7

94.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿73.8

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.83 ₱51.6

273.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.39

$0.25 ₱15.69

332.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿127

$1.94 ₱121

99.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿46.93

$1.09 ₱67.8

31.19%

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

$27.8K ฿913.6K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

31.75%

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

$27.0K ฿887.2K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

41.36%

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

$105 ฿3,446

$106 ₱6,632

-1.46%

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

$11.39 ฿375

$19.04 ₱1,187

-40.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿577

$31.42 ₱1,959

-44.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,787

$24.08 ₱1,501

125.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿256

$4.37 ₱273

78.03%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$108 ₱6,746

432.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿380.8K

$7,486 ₱466.8K

54.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,092

$61.6 ₱3,843

3.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿957

$27.03 ₱1,686

7.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,164

$72.6 ₱4,524

32.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,960

$60.7 ₱3,784

48.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿69.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.31

-32.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Butuan: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $27.00 in Butuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $196 per month, with Butuan 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 Butuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 118% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $869 in Butuan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $108 in Butuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $579 in Butuan versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Butuan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $579 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Butuan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.