Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Calbayog

For one person, living is cheaper in Calbayog: $723 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Calbayog
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Calbayog Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Calbayog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Calbayog

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $723 in Calbayog, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Calbayog $723

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,104 in Calbayog, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Calbayog $1,104

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,484 in Calbayog, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Calbayog $1,484

Phuket costs about 79% more than Calbayog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Calbayog are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Calbayog 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$4.02 ₱255

9.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$16.24 ₱1,029

98.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$2.76 ₱175

215.22%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.15 ₱136

26.51%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.68 ₱43.26

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.31 ₱19.53

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.14 ₱72.3

121.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.12 ₱134

71.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.61 ₱102

8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.14 ₱72.2

27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.97 ₱61.2

54.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.92 ₱122

13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$5.63 ₱357

239.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.15 ₱263

-18.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.08 ₱449

53.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$2.31 ₱146

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.56 ₱99.0

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$2.30 ₱146

-4.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.16 ₱73.6

82.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$2.03 ₱129

-28.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$2.22 ₱141

-38.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.10 ₱69.5

-1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.54 ₱33.91

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.88 ₱182

53.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.54 ₱478

142.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$0.94 ₱59.4

88.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.89 ₱120

52.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.24 ₱15.27

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$12.58 ₱797

336.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.78 ₱49.67

93.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.22 ₱13.94

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.85 ₱117

107.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.16 ₱73.3

28.45%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

30.43%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

38.97%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$118 ₱7,494

-17.31%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$15.41 ₱976

-26.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$23.86 ₱1,512

-27.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$31.71 ₱2,009

115.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$5.15 ₱327

112.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.22 ₱331

42.34%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$130 ₱8,226

308.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$7,709 ₱488.4K

143.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$32.11 ₱2,034

92.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$19.07 ₱1,208

48.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$71.6 ₱4,539

34.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$55.3 ₱3,503

57.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$250 ₱15.8K

188.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$169 ₱10.7K

200.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$487 ₱30.8K

300.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$352 ₱22.3K

297.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$2,619 ₱165.9K

60.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,124 ₱71.2K

193.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$149 ₱9,466

229.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Calbayog: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Calbayog

$169 23.4% 66.8% $340

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Calbayog

$179 24.7% 33% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Calbayog

$158 21.8% 24.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Calbayog

$80 11.1% 34.7% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Calbayog

$80 11.1% 33% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Calbayog

$42 5.8% 49.3% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Calbayog

$15 2.1% 76.7% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $250 in Calbayog. 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 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $16 in Calbayog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $179 – making Calbayog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Calbayog

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

10:37 10:37 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

183,851

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Calbayog 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Calbayog

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 Calbayog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,085 in Calbayog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 49% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $16 in Calbayog. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Calbayog, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Calbayog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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