Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Calapan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Calapan City: $710 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Calapan City
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Calapan City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Calapan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Calapan City

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $710 in Calapan City, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Calapan City $710

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,088 in Calapan City, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Calapan City $1,088

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,467 in Calapan City, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Calapan City $1,467

Phuket costs about 70% more than Calapan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Calapan City are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Calapan City 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$4.01 ₱252

14.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$16.85 ₱1,061

92.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$2.83 ₱178

202.12%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.25 ₱142

20.89%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.61 ₱38.53

54.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.30 ₱19.15

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.13 ₱71.0

129.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.90 ₱120

101.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.69 ₱107

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.15 ₱72.5

24.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.97 ₱61.1

57.73%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.92 ₱121

13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$4.78 ₱301

300.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.23 ₱267

-21.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$7.03 ₱442

58.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.34 ₱147

26.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.60 ₱101

5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.36 ₱149

-2.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.14 ₱71.6

86.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.91 ₱120

-19.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.95 ₱123

-30.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.99 ₱62.3

13.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.55 ₱34.62

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.99 ₱188

42.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.38 ₱464

146.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.95 ₱59.6

83.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.95 ₱123

43.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.24 ₱15.06

825.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$11.13 ₱701

98.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.79 ₱49.46

268.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.20 ₱12.48

405.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.94 ₱122

97.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.05 ₱66.3

41.90%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$23.0K ₱1.4M

16.07%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

42.35%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$121 ₱7,642

-18.13%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$14.21 ₱895

-20.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$24.23 ₱1,525

-28.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$32.71 ₱2,059

59.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$5.12 ₱323

111.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.07 ₱319

49.31%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$125 ₱7,875

346.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$7,935 ₱499.6K

44.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$32.35 ₱2,037

94.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$19.22 ₱1,210

48.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$69.8 ₱4,395

37.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$57.0 ₱3,589

54.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$232 ₱14.6K

214.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$156 ₱9,819

194.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$497 ₱31.3K

321.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$336 ₱21.1K

264.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,385 ₱150.2K

45.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,002 ₱63.1K

148.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$118 ₱7,460

316.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.79

-17.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Calapan City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Calapan City

$156 22% 66.1% $304

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Calapan City

$177 24.9% 34% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Calapan City

$160 22.5% 24.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Calapan City

$80 11.3% 35.3% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Calapan City

$81 11.4% 33.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Calapan City

$43 6% 36.4% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Calapan City

$14 2% 64.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $232 in Calapan City. 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 316% 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 Calapan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $177 – making Calapan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Calapan City

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

145,786

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Calapan City 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Calapan City

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 Calapan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,065 in Calapan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $17.00 in Calapan City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $710 in Calapan City. That's a gap of about 70%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calapan City, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Calapan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calapan City – 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 Calapan City. 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.