Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Calamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Calamba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $518 in Calamba.

Phuket $1,207
Calamba $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $764 in Calamba.

Phuket $2,037
Calamba $764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,010 in Calamba.

Phuket $2,867
Calamba $1,010

Living in Phuket is roughly 133% more expensive than in Calamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Calamba 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.92 ₱247

16.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$12.02 ₱757

170.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$2.82 ₱178

203.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.79 ₱113

51.96%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.56 ₱35.44

67.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.33 ₱21.06

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.94 ₱59.5

175.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.55 ₱97.7

147.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.60 ₱101

8.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.11 ₱70.1

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.97 ₱61.0

57.73%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.00 ₱126

8.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$5.20 ₱327

268.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.40 ₱214

-2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$7.80 ₱491

42.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.31 ₱145

27.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.54 ₱96.9

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.40 ₱151

-4.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.06 ₱66.9

100.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.73 ₱109

-11.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.78 ₱112

-23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.61 ₱38.68

83.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.49 ₱31.10

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.92 ₱184

45.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$8.87 ₱558

105.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.96 ₱60.3

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.10 ₱132

32.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.82 ₱51.9

254.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.25 ₱15.75

304.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.88 ₱119

103.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.93 ₱58.7

60.22%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

26.25%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

40.50%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$139 ₱8,759

-28.57%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$17.36 ₱1,093

-35.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$23.85 ₱1,502

-27.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.04 ₱317

50.20%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$130 ₱8,193

329.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$10.6K ₱668.9K

8.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$28.54 ₱1,797

120.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$19.73 ₱1,242

44.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$71.0 ₱4,468

35.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$55.3 ₱3,482

59.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$260 ₱16.4K

89.76%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Calamba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Calamba

$175 33.7% 34.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Calamba

$180 34.8% 40.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Calamba

$79 15.2% 36.7% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Calamba

$73 14% 40% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Calamba

$10 * 1.9% 85% $57

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4% 94.7% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 90% 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 $12.00 in Calamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $175 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Calamba

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

539,671

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Calamba 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Calamba

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 Calamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $518 in Calamba – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calamba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calamba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Calamba 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 Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.