Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cauayan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $708 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Cauayan City
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Cauayan City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$708

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cauayan 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 Cauayan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $708 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Cauayan City $708

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,074 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Cauayan City $1,074

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,440 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Cauayan City $1,440

Phuket costs about 83% more than Cauayan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Cauayan City are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Cauayan City 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.97 ₱252

10.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$16.34 ₱1,039

97.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$2.77 ₱176

214.08%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.82 ₱116

49.45%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.55 ₱35.05

69.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.33 ₱21.13

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.00 ₱63.8

153.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.55 ₱98.4

134.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.63 ₱104

6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.15 ₱73.1

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.93 ₱59.4

61.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.04 ₱130

6.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$4.67 ₱297

308.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.34 ₱212

1.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.90 ₱502

37.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.26 ₱143

30.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.55 ₱98.8

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.38 ₱151

-7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.05 ₱66.8

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.65 ₱105

-11.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.69 ₱107

-18.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.87 ₱55.5

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.52 ₱33.35

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.98 ₱189

48.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$8.57 ₱545

112.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.90 ₱57.4

96.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.95 ₱124

47.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.24 ₱15.34

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$12.29 ₱781

346.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.76 ₱48.62

98.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.22 ₱13.94

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.94 ₱123

97.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.91 ₱58.0

63.74%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

26.84%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

41.62%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$136 ₱8,669

-28.27%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$10.33 ₱657

9.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$22.72 ₱1,444

-24.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$30.67 ₱1,950

122.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$5.33 ₱339

104.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.97 ₱316

49.50%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$131 ₱8,297

306.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$10.6K ₱671.7K

77.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$28.11 ₱1,787

119.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$19.23 ₱1,223

46.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$53.9 ₱3,427

78.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$55.8 ₱3,547

55.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$247 ₱15.7K

192.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$166 ₱10.5K

207.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$479 ₱30.5K

307.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$353 ₱22.4K

296.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,605 ₱165.6K

60.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,114 ₱70.8K

196.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 Cauayan City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Cauayan City

$166 23.4% 67.4% $343

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Cauayan City

$173 24.5% 35.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Cauayan City

$169 23.9% 34.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Cauayan City

$71 10% 42.4% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Cauayan City

$74 10.4% 38.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Cauayan City

$41 5.7% 51.2% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cauayan City

$15 2.1% 77.1% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $247 in Cauayan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $16 in Cauayan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $173 – making Cauayan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Cauayan City

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,616

💱 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 5, 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 5, 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 Cauayan City 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cauayan 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 Cauayan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $708 in Cauayan City – Cauayan City comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,062 in Cauayan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cauayan City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $131 in Cauayan City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Cauayan City, where all-in costs run around $708, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Cauayan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Cauayan City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 45% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.