Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cabanatuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $601 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Cabanatuan
Learn more

Cabanatuan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Cabanatuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cabanatuan

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $601 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Cabanatuan $601

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $954 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Cabanatuan $954

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,308 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Cabanatuan $1,308

Phuket costs about 115% more than Cabanatuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Cabanatuan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Cabanatuan 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.87 ₱246

13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$16.59 ₱1,055

94.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$2.71 ₱172

221.03%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.74 ₱111

56.32%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.60 ₱38.00

55.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.33 ₱21.20

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$0.94 ₱59.6

169.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.60 ₱102

126.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.64 ₱104

6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.11 ₱70.5

30.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.88 ₱55.7

70.45%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.04 ₱130

6.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$4.87 ₱309

291.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.29 ₱209

3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.57 ₱481

43.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.26 ₱144

30.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.04 ₱65.9

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.39 ₱152

-8.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.81 ₱51.5

161.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.64 ₱104

-10.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.71 ₱109

-19.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.88 ₱56.3

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.52 ₱32.96

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.93 ₱186

51.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$8.71 ₱554

109.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.88 ₱55.7

101.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.06 ₱131

39.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.24 ₱15.28

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$12.40 ₱789

342.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.81 ₱51.3

86.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.20 ₱12.75

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.86 ₱118

106.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.95 ₱60.5

56.84%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

25.92%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

36.59%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$52.5 ₱3,335

86.48%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$17.00 ₱1,081

-33.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$21.22 ₱1,349

-18.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$10.94 ₱695

524.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$5.15 ₱327

112.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.05 ₱321

47.13%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$132 ₱8,365

303.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$10.7K ₱682.1K

75.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$23.07 ₱1,467

167.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$19.29 ₱1,227

46.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$57.8 ₱3,674

66.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$55.8 ₱3,549

55.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$250 ₱15.9K

188.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$164 ₱10.4K

209.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$485 ₱30.8K

302.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$349 ₱22.2K

300.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,631 ₱167.3K

59.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,099 ₱69.9K

200.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$159 ₱10.1K

209.72%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cabanatuan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Cabanatuan

$164 27.3% 67.7% $345

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Cabanatuan

$168 28% 37.1% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Cabanatuan

$91 15.1% 28.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Cabanatuan

$70 11.7% 42.8% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Cabanatuan

$72 11.9% 40.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Cabanatuan

$21 3.5% 74.7% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cabanatuan

$15 2.5% 77% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $250 in Cabanatuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $17 in Cabanatuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $168 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Cabanatuan

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

302,231

💱 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 Cabanatuan 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cabanatuan

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 Cabanatuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $601 in Cabanatuan – Cabanatuan comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $901 in Cabanatuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $17 in Cabanatuan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $601 in Cabanatuan. That makes Cabanatuan about 54% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cabanatuan, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Cabanatuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.