Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dumaguete

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $790 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
Learn more

Dumaguete Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dumaguete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $790 in Dumaguete.

Phuket $1,278
Dumaguete $790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,195 in Dumaguete.

Phuket $2,216
Dumaguete $1,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,600 in Dumaguete.

Phuket $3,154
Dumaguete $1,600

Living in Phuket is roughly 62% more expensive than in Dumaguete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Dumaguete 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.82 ₱243

17.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$15.47 ₱985

109.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.23 ₱269

108.27%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.22 ₱141

27.48%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.72 ₱45.55

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.43 ₱27.08

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.37 ₱87.2

86.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.83 ₱116

101.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.66 ₱106

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.31 ₱83.5

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.92 ₱58.8

63.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.79 ₱114

16.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.57 ₱546

122.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.40 ₱280

-25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.86 ₱437

59.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.54 ₱97.9

90.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.27 ₱81.0

33.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.44 ₱219

-34.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.28 ₱81.2

62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.52 ₱160

-40.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.58 ₱100

-12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.81 ₱51.9

32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.57 ₱36.24

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.32 ₱148

81.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.45 ₱538

122.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.14 ₱72.5

59.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.27 ₱80.9

123.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.30 ₱19.05

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$11.33 ₱722

400.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.69 ₱43.85

337.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.15 ₱9.40

580.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.13 ₱135

73.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.09 ₱69.5

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$20.2K ₱1.3M

32.37%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

40.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$66.5 ₱4,232

45.00%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.65 ₱615

16.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$26.12 ₱1,664

-35.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$31.13 ₱1,983

115.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.83 ₱244

180.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.19 ₱458

4.31%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$56.4 ₱3,595

743.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$1,650 ₱105.1K

582.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$93.0 ₱5,925

-32.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.24 ₱1,990

-9.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$100 ₱6,390

-6.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$111 ₱7,040

-22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$233 ₱14.9K

206.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$202 ₱12.9K

142.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$416 ₱26.5K

363.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$344 ₱21.9K

315.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,045 ₱193.9K

37.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$674 ₱42.9K

351.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$278 ₱17.7K

80.82%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dumaguete: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dumaguete

$202 25.6% 58.8% $289

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dumaguete

$190 24.1% 28.6% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dumaguete

$102 12.9% 17.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dumaguete

$151 19.1% 23.7% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dumaguete

$85 10.8% 30.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dumaguete

$46 5.8% 44.6% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dumaguete

$14 1.8% 80.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $233 in Dumaguete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 81% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $15 in Dumaguete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $190 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

134,103

💱 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 Dumaguete 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dumaguete

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 Dumaguete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $790 in Dumaguete, so Dumaguete is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Phuket, 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 $233 in Dumaguete. 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 $790 in Dumaguete – Dumaguete is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

At $790 in Dumaguete versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.