Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cainta

For one person, living is cheaper in Cainta: $727 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cainta
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Cainta Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Cainta

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cainta

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $727 in Cainta, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Cainta $727

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,102 in Cainta, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Cainta $1,102

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,476 in Cainta, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Cainta $1,476

Phuket costs about 66% more than Cainta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Cainta are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Cainta 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.88 ₱244

13.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$16.79 ₱1,057

92.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$2.80 ₱177

212.86%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.41 ₱152

17.43%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.18 ₱74.1

-23.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.33 ₱20.87

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.16 ₱73.1

119.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.45 ₱154

56.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.69 ₱106

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.17 ₱73.6

25.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.02 ₱63.9

48.04%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.31 ₱145

-6.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.03 ₱317

291.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.32 ₱209

0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.72 ₱423

66.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.24 ₱141

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.54 ₱96.9

10.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.36 ₱148

-7.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.06 ₱67.0

93.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.68 ₱106

-13.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.71 ₱108

-19.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.61 ₱38.72

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.49 ₱31.12

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.90 ₱183

46.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.84 ₱556

110.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.98 ₱61.8

81.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.06 ₱129

38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.26 ₱16.42

769.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$11.35 ₱715

94.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.74 ₱46.90

306.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.21 ₱13.20

404.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.96 ₱123

96.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.24 ₱78.4

16.94%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

24.46%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

41.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$122 ₱7,668

-20.86%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$16.18 ₱1,018

-31.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$23.48 ₱1,478

-27.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$32.87 ₱2,069

58.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$4.76 ₱300

134.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.05 ₱318

54.65%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$131 ₱8,257

323.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$9,055 ₱570.1K

27.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$28.81 ₱1,814

122.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$19.44 ₱1,224

47.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$72.5 ₱4,562

31.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$56.0 ₱3,526

57.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$262 ₱16.5K

181.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$171 ₱10.8K

169.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$524 ₱33.0K

299.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$347 ₱21.9K

245.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,461 ₱154.9K

41.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$973 ₱61.2K

159.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$425 ₱26.7K

17.92%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cainta: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Cainta

$171 23.6% 63% $291

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Cainta

$172 23.7% 35.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Cainta

$161 22.2% 29.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cainta

$80 10.9% 36% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Cainta

$85 11.7% 29.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Cainta

$43 5.9% 36.6% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Cainta

$14 2% 64% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $262 in Cainta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $17.00 in Cainta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $172 – making Cainta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Cainta

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

322,128

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cainta 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cainta

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 Cainta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,090 in Cainta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cainta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 95% less in Cainta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $131 in Cainta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cainta, where all-in costs run around $727, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Cainta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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