Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dipolog

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $776 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
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Dipolog Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dipolog

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $776 in Dipolog, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Dipolog $776

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,132 in Dipolog, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Dipolog $1,132

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,488 in Dipolog, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Dipolog $1,488

Phuket costs about 67% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Dipolog are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Dipolog 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.53 ₱97.5

186.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$19.22 ₱1,222

68.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$3.07 ₱195

183.39%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.55 ₱98.7

75.48%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.37 ₱23.82

151.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.23 ₱14.61

117.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.09 ₱69.4

132.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.56 ₱99.3

132.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.54 ₱98.0

12.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.81 ₱51.7

79.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.81 ₱51.2

85.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.95 ₱124

11.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$4.67 ₱297

308.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.57 ₱290

-25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$5.51 ₱350

97.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.54 ₱97.9

90.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.23 ₱78.4

37.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.00 ₱127

9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.93 ₱59.3

127.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.89 ₱120

-22.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.56 ₱99.0

-12.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.01 ₱64.3

6.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.60 ₱38.23

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.72 ₱173

62.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$4.04 ₱257

351.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.14 ₱72.6

55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.59 ₱101

81.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.26 ₱16.31

457.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$14.55 ₱925

277.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.05 ₱66.5

43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.20 ₱12.71

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.88 ₱120

104.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.85 ₱54.1

75.29%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

26.65%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

37.63%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$67.9 ₱4,317

44.05%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$8.09 ₱514

39.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$23.89 ₱1,519

-28.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$31.96 ₱2,032

113.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.47 ₱348

35.83%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$297 ₱18.9K

78.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$6,827 ₱434.1K

175.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$51.0 ₱3,243

20.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$25.96 ₱1,650

8.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$79.1 ₱5,029

21.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$66.8 ₱4,245

30.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$413 ₱26.3K

74.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$311 ₱19.8K

63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$762 ₱48.4K

155.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$483 ₱30.7K

189.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$3,505 ₱222.9K

19.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$2,701 ₱171.7K

22.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$236 ₱15.0K

108.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dipolog: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Dipolog

$311 40.1% 38.8% $197

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Dipolog

$153 19.7% 42.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 20.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 18.3% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Dipolog

$51 6.6% 57.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Dipolog

$43 5.5% 48.4% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Dipolog

$18 2.3% 73.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $413 in Dipolog. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $19 in Dipolog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $153 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

130,759

💱 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 4, 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 4, 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 Dipolog 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dipolog

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 Dipolog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 67% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,164 in Dipolog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $297 in Dipolog. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Dipolog – 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 Dipolog. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.