Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Imus

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $644 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Imus
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Imus Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Imus

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $644 in Imus, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Imus $644

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $960 in Imus, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Imus $960

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,276 in Imus, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Imus $1,276

Phuket costs about 101% more than Imus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Imus are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Imus 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.98 ₱253

10.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$16.17 ₱1,028

99.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$2.68 ₱170

224.63%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.86 ₱119

46.24%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.54 ₱34.60

72.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.33 ₱21.24

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$0.93 ₱59.4

172.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.69 ₱107

114.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.67 ₱106

4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.15 ₱73.2

26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.99 ₱63.1

51.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.97 ₱125

10.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$4.66 ₱296

309.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.43 ₱218

-0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.91 ₱503

37.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.16 ₱138

36.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.52 ₱96.5

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.37 ₱150

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.81 ₱115

17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.73 ₱110

-15.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.70 ₱108

-19.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.95 ₱60.6

13.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.48 ₱30.67

14.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.99 ₱190

48.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$8.62 ₱548

111.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.06 ₱67.3

66.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.01 ₱128

43.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.24 ₱15.34

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$12.60 ₱801

335.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.75 ₱47.79

101.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.22 ₱14.00

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.89 ₱120

103.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.17 ₱74.6

27.35%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

29.74%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

38.74%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$123 ₱7,822

-20.49%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$15.49 ₱985

-27.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$23.31 ₱1,482

-26.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$30.79 ₱1,958

121.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$5.27 ₱335

107.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.16 ₱328

43.99%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$132 ₱8,367

303.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$8,902 ₱566.0K

110.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$28.85 ₱1,834

113.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$19.46 ₱1,237

45.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$69.0 ₱4,389

39.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$54.2 ₱3,443

60.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$115 ₱7,337

524.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$97.0 ₱6,166

424.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$199 ₱12.6K

880.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$164 ₱10.4K

750.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,598 ₱165.2K

61.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,091 ₱69.4K

202.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$173 ₱11.0K

184.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Imus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Imus

$97 15.1% 80.9% $412

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Imus

$178 27.6% 33.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Imus

$162 25.1% 28.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Imus

$77 12% 37.1% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Imus

$74 11.5% 38.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Imus

$41 6.4% 50.6% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Imus

$15 2.4% 76.7% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $115 in Imus. 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 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $16 in Imus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $178 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Imus

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

05:55 5:55 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

496,794

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Imus 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Imus

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 Imus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $644 in Imus – Imus comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $967 in Imus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $115 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $16 in Imus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $644, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Imus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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