Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $738 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $738 in Cotabato City.

Phuket $1,278
Cotabato City $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,139 in Cotabato City.

Phuket $2,216
Cotabato City $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,539 in Cotabato City.

Phuket $3,154
Cotabato City $1,539

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cotabato City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.81 ₱307

-7.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.14 ₱1,031

100.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.97 ₱254

121.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.17 ₱139

30.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.06 ₱67.6

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.62 ₱39.75

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.14 ₱73.1

124.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.08 ₱133

76.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.01 ₱128

-17.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.08 ₱68.8

35.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.75 ₱48.19

100.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.90 ₱121

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.44 ₱411

196.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.59 ₱293

-28.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.44 ₱603

15.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.76 ₱176

6.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.10 ₱70.0

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.40 ₱153

-6.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.17 ₱74.7

77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.97 ₱126

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.30 ₱211

-58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.24 ₱78.9

-13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.66 ₱42.15

-21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.40 ₱154

75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.03 ₱513

134.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.27 ₱80.9

43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.64 ₱105

73.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.22 ₱13.98

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$11.32 ₱723

400.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.76 ₱48.30

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.22 ₱13.97

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.85 ₱118

99.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.10 ₱70.2

33.64%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

28.62%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

42.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$108 ₱6,875

-10.46%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.43 ₱1,178

-38.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.97 ₱1,978

-45.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$30.96 ₱1,978

117.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.25 ₱335

104.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.73 ₱302

58.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$105 ₱6,684

354.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,282 ₱465.3K

54.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$32.48 ₱2,075

92.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$19.49 ₱1,246

45.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$69.5 ₱4,438

35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$60.5 ₱3,862

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$224 ₱14.3K

219.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$153 ₱9,753

221.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$447 ₱28.6K

330.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$333 ₱21.3K

329.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,692 ₱172.0K

55.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,003 ₱64.1K

203.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.31

-32.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cotabato City

$153 20.7% 68.9% $338

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cotabato City

$199 26.9% 25.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cotabato City

$157 21.3% 26.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cotabato City

$82 11.1% 32.8% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cotabato City

$93 12.6% 23.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cotabato City

$40 5.5% 50.9% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cotabato City

$14 1.9% 80.1% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $224 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $199 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

325,079

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cotabato City 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cotabato City wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,107 in Cotabato City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $224 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $738 in Cotabato City – Cotabato City is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 80% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.