Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Iligan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Iligan City: $744 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Iligan City
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Iligan City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Iligan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Iligan City

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $744 in Iligan City, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Iligan City $744

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,121 in Iligan City, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Iligan City $1,121

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,498 in Iligan City, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Iligan City $1,498

Phuket costs about 62% more than Iligan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Iligan City are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Iligan City 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.82 ₱241

15.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$14.87 ₱936

116.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$2.74 ₱172

219.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.44 ₱154

15.98%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.67 ₱42.23

34.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.33 ₱21.02

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.13 ₱71.1

125.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.99 ₱126

92.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.92 ₱121

-9.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.11 ₱69.8

32.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.93 ₱58.3

62.37%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.94 ₱122

11.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.55 ₱349

254.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.24 ₱267

-21.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.03 ₱443

58.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.44 ₱154

16.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.59 ₱100

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.41 ₱152

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.18 ₱74.4

73.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.98 ₱125

-26.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.97 ₱124

-29.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.00 ₱62.7

7.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.54 ₱33.96

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.33 ₱209

27.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.75 ₱488

139.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.98 ₱61.9

81.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.94 ₱122

46.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.24 ₱14.97

841.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$10.68 ₱673

106.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.73 ₱45.73

312.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.24 ₱15.09

341.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.05 ₱129

88.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.27 ₱79.7

14.17%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

27.01%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

31.02%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$127 ₱7,992

-24.08%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.20 ₱957

-27.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$24.59 ₱1,548

-30.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$32.05 ₱2,018

62.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$4.84 ₱305

130.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.09 ₱321

53.44%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$146 ₱9,209

280.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,850 ₱431.3K

69.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$32.15 ₱2,024

99.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$21.34 ₱1,344

34.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$70.8 ₱4,455

34.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$61.7 ₱3,884

42.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$111 ₱7,004

562.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$173 ₱10.9K

167.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$507 ₱31.9K

313.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$347 ₱21.9K

245.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,447 ₱154.1K

42.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$866 ₱54.5K

191.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$194 ₱12.2K

157.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.79

-17.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Iligan City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Iligan City

$173 23.3% 62.6% $289

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Iligan City

$183 24.6% 32% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Iligan City

$167 22.4% 33.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Iligan City

$84 11.3% 32.7% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Iligan City

$82 11% 32.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Iligan City

$42 5.7% 37.7% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Iligan City

$14 1.8% 65.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $111 in Iligan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 158% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $15.00 in Iligan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $183 – making Iligan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Iligan City

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

342,618

💱 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 Iligan City 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Iligan City

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 Iligan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $744 in Iligan City – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,115 in Iligan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iligan City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 107% less in Iligan City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $146 in Iligan City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Iligan City, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Iligan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $744 in Iligan City to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Iligan City. 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.