Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Iloilo

For one person, living is cheaper in Iloilo: $693 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Iloilo
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Iloilo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Iloilo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Iloilo

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $693 in Iloilo, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Iloilo $693

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $1,054 in Iloilo, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Iloilo $1,054

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $1,416 in Iloilo, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Iloilo $1,416

Phuket costs about 72% more than Iloilo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Iloilo are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Iloilo 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$2.83 ₱177

53.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$19.43 ₱1,219

67.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$3.15 ₱198

167.30%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$2.09 ₱131

34.45%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.65 ₱40.93

33.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.34 ₱21.39

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.06 ₱66.6

144.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$1.81 ₱113

101.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.69 ₱106

1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.20 ₱75.1

20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.84 ₱52.9

85.71%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.06 ₱129

1.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$6.05 ₱379

222.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.04 ₱254

-15.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$6.18 ₱388

80.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$3.32 ₱208

-14.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.04 ₱65.3

55.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$3.06 ₱192

-27.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$1.38 ₱86.4

55.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$2.39 ₱150

-37.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$2.71 ₱170

-50.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.47 ₱92.4

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.81 ₱50.8

-37.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$2.99 ₱188

46.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$6.19 ₱388

203.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.10 ₱68.8

58.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.26 ₱78.8

120.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.24 ₱15.09

804.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$4.59 ₱288

385.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.82 ₱51.4

268.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.34 ₱21.10

211.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.36 ₱148

57.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.16 ₱72.9

23.28%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

21.00%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$19.5K ₱1.2M

34.13%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$64.5 ₱4,044

49.93%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$9.82 ₱616

16.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$27.65 ₱1,734

-38.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$9.76 ₱612

440.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$4.70 ₱295

62.77%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$31.77 ₱1,993

1646.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$23.50 ₱1,474

169.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$17.74 ₱1,113

61.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$55.5 ₱3,480

74.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$23.96 ₱1,503

269.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$308 ₱19.3K

138.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$246 ₱15.4K

86.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$1,184 ₱74.3K

77.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$436 ₱27.4K

172.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$3,633 ₱227.9K

-3.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$1,055 ₱66.2K

136.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$206 ₱12.9K

143.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.33

-24.01%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Iloilo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Iloilo

$246 35.8% 46.2% $212

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Iloilo

$188 27.3% 29.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Iloilo

$102 14.8% 18.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Iloilo

$54 7.9% 56.5% $70

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Iloilo

$70 10.2% 41.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Iloilo

$19 2.8% 71.9% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Iloilo

$8.1 1.2% 79.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $308 in Iloilo. 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 143% 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 $19.00 in Iloilo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $188 – making Iloilo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Iloilo

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

17:41 5:41 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

457,626

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.28 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Iloilo 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Iloilo

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 Iloilo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $1,040 in Iloilo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $19.00 in Iloilo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Phuket and $693 in Iloilo. That's a gap of about 72%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iloilo, where all-in costs run around $693, than in Phuket at $1,190. In Iloilo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iloilo – 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 Iloilo. 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.