Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Davao

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Davao
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Davao Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Davao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $839 in Davao.

Phuket $1,278
Davao $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,275 in Davao.

Phuket $2,216
Davao $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,712 in Davao.

Phuket $3,154
Davao $1,712

Living in Phuket is roughly 52% more expensive than in Davao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Davao 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.71 ₱300

-5.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$26.33 ₱1,677

23.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.83 ₱244

130.03%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.53 ₱161

11.86%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.06 ₱67.5

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.62 ₱39.75

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.53 ₱97.3

67.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.38 ₱151

54.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.96 ₱125

-15.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.07 ₱68.2

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.91 ₱58.1

64.84%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.84 ₱117

13.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.41 ₱408

197.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.59 ₱293

-28.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.97 ₱572

21.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.68 ₱171

9.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.06 ₱67.5

59.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.43 ₱155

-7.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.14 ₱72.5

82.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.99 ₱126

-24.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$3.35 ₱214

-58.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.24 ₱78.9

-13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.71 ₱45.16

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.46 ₱157

70.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.99 ₱509

135.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.27 ₱80.7

43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.58 ₱101

79.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.21 ₱13.37

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$13.16 ₱838

330.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 ₱51.5

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.24 ₱15.37

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.83 ₱117

101.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.22 ₱77.4

20.49%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

25.50%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

40.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$105 ₱6,681

-8.15%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.14 ₱1,219

-41.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.17 ₱1,921

-44.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$34.37 ₱2,189

95.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.44 ₱219

211.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.75 ₱303

57.89%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$104 ₱6,643

356.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,536 ₱480.0K

49.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$61.0 ₱3,888

2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.74 ₱1,958

-7.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$69.7 ₱4,438

35.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$60.1 ₱3,827

42.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$350 ₱22.3K

104.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$229 ₱14.6K

114.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$723 ₱46.0K

166.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$404 ₱25.7K

254.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,584 ₱100.9K

163.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,364 ₱86.9K

123.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$207 ₱13.2K

142.57%

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 Davao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Davao

$229 27.3% 53.3% $262

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Davao

$197 23.5% 25.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Davao

$154 18.4% 23.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Davao

$100 11.9% 18.2% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Davao

$99 11.8% 19% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Davao

$44 5.2% 46.6% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Davao

$16 1.9% 77.3% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $350 in Davao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $26 in Davao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $197 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Davao

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

01:32 1:32 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,632,991

💱 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.08 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Davao 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Davao

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 Davao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Davao is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $350 in Davao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Davao – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $839 in Davao – Davao is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $839 in Davao versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Davao but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Davao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Davao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Davao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Davao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.