Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $730 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in El Nido

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $730 in El Nido, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
El Nido $730

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,156 in El Nido, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
El Nido $1,156

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,582 in El Nido, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
El Nido $1,582

Phuket costs about 75% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and El Nido are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, El Nido 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.86 ₱247

15.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$30.35 ₱1,939

6.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.60 ₱230

144.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.19 ₱140

29.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.14 ₱73.1

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.31 ₱20.08

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.23 ₱78.5

108.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.86 ₱119

97.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.84 ₱118

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.02 ₱65.3

43.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.27 ₱80.9

18.11%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.85 ₱118

12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.93 ₱379

221.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.88 ₱248

-14.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.76 ₱432

61.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.31 ₱147

26.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.61 ₱103

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.26 ₱144

-0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.12 ₱71.4

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.06 ₱131

-26.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.22 ₱142

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.14 ₱72.7

-6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.56 ₱36.03

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.92 ₱186

43.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.28 ₱529

126.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.93 ₱59.2

95.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.78 ₱114

59.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.22 ₱14.10

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$13.54 ₱865

318.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.77 ₱49.41

292.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.22 ₱13.99

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.99 ₱127

85.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.27 ₱81.3

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

40.88%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$20.2K ₱1.3M

31.83%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$125 ₱8,015

-23.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.25 ₱1,038

-30.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.48 ₱1,500

-28.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.49 ₱2,012

113.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.99 ₱319

115.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.07 ₱324

47.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$144 ₱9,190

230.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,421 ₱538.1K

33.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$33.73 ₱2,155

84.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$19.38 ₱1,238

46.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$65.6 ₱4,190

43.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$62.3 ₱3,980

37.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$248 ₱15.8K

189.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$160 ₱10.2K

206.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$507 ₱32.4K

279.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$359 ₱22.9K

298.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,535 ₱161.9K

64.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,054 ₱67.3K

188.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$246 ₱15.7K

104.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

El Nido

$160 22% 67.4% $331

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

El Nido

$181 24.8% 32% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

El Nido

$165 22.6% 32.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

El Nido

$81 11.2% 33.2% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

El Nido

$84 11.5% 31.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

El Nido

$42 5.7% 49.4% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

El Nido

$16 2.2% 76.9% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $248 in El Nido. 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 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $30 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $181 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,494

💱 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 28, 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 28, 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 El Nido 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
El Nido

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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $730 in El Nido – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,094 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Nido, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 76% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $144 in El Nido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $730, than in Phuket at $1,278. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Nido – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with El Nido. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.