Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dasmarinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dasmarinas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $496 in Dasmarinas.

Phuket $1,208
Dasmarinas $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $738 in Dasmarinas.

Phuket $2,027
Dasmarinas $738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $980 in Dasmarinas.

Phuket $2,845
Dasmarinas $980

Living in Phuket is roughly 144% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Dasmarinas 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$4.08 ₱257

7.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$16.95 ₱1,067

90.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$2.71 ₱171

223.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.75 ₱110

61.71%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.57 ₱35.76

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.31 ₱19.30

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.96 ₱60.1

165.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.58 ₱99.4

142.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.39 ₱87.5

24.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.10 ₱69.5

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.66 ₱41.36

128.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.79 ₱113

21.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$4.94 ₱311

298.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.49 ₱219

-4.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$4.72 ₱297

136.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.26 ₱143

26.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.61 ₱102

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.38 ₱150

-7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.07 ₱67.3

91.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.75 ₱110

-17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.72 ₱108

-19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.61 ₱38.39

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.52 ₱32.54

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.88 ₱181

47.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.59 ₱541

116.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.93 ₱58.5

91.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.99 ₱125

43.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.78 ₱48.96

285.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.25 ₱15.76

324.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.85 ₱117

108.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.11 ₱70.1

30.63%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.4K ₱1.3M

23.09%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

42.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$48.45 ₱3,050

98.93%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$17.55 ₱1,105

-37.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$23.72 ₱1,494

-27.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$33.43 ₱2,105

56.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.30 ₱334

47.36%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$134 ₱8,415

315.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$10.7K ₱674.0K

8.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$28.53 ₱1,796

125.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$19.55 ₱1,231

46.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$72.5 ₱4,561

31.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$56.4 ₱3,552

55.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$46.95 ₱2,956

884.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$353 ₱22.2K

41.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.4

-12.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5% 89.8% $415

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3% 40.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1% 28% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1% 36% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8% 39.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9% 35% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4% 94.9% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 42% 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 $17.00 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $160 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

659,019

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Dasmarinas 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dasmarinas

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 Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Dasmarinas differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $496 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $134 in Dasmarinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.