Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lapu-Lapu

For one person, living is cheaper in Lapu-Lapu: $843 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Lapu-Lapu
Learn more

Lapu-Lapu Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lapu-Lapu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lapu-Lapu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $843 in Lapu-Lapu.

Phuket $1,278
Lapu-Lapu $843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,191 in Lapu-Lapu.

Phuket $2,216
Lapu-Lapu $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,539 in Lapu-Lapu.

Phuket $3,154
Lapu-Lapu $1,539

Living in Phuket is roughly 52% more expensive than in Lapu-Lapu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Lapu-Lapu 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.00 ₱256

11.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$15.58 ₱997

108.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.00 ₱256

120.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.50 ₱160

13.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.56 ₱35.91

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.37 ₱23.73

32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.24 ₱79.2

106.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.16 ₱138

70.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.71 ₱110

-2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.32 ₱84.3

10.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.01 ₱64.8

48.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.94 ₱124

7.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$5.43 ₱348

251.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.28 ₱274

-22.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.46 ₱477

46.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.18 ₱203

-7.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.37 ₱87.5

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.26 ₱144

-0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.51 ₱96.5

37.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.28 ₱146

-33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.93 ₱124

-28.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.10 ₱70.4

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.59 ₱37.79

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.54 ₱98.9

172.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$3.81 ₱244

393.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.03 ₱66.1

76.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.49 ₱95.4

90.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.22 ₱14.05

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.73 ₱46.91

313.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.22 ₱14.09

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$3.77 ₱241

-2.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.28 ₱82.0

14.84%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

30.23%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

40.84%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$120 ₱7,699

-19.92%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.46 ₱989

-27.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.32 ₱1,813

-40.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$12.73 ₱814

428.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.44 ₱348

37.87%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$101 ₱6,449

372.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$7,765 ₱496.9K

45.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$46.97 ₱3,006

32.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$24.71 ₱1,581

14.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$23.03 ₱1,474

309.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$57.6 ₱3,688

48.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$441 ₱28.2K

62.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$315 ₱20.2K

55.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,204 ₱77.1K

59.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$472 ₱30.2K

203.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$230 ₱14.7K

118.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lapu-Lapu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lapu-Lapu

$315 37.4% 35.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lapu-Lapu

$181 21.4% 32.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lapu-Lapu

$164 19.5% 31.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lapu-Lapu

$69 8.1% 43.8% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lapu-Lapu

$88 10.5% 27.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lapu-Lapu

$24 2.8% 71.3% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lapu-Lapu

$2.7 * 0.3% 96.2% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $441 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Lapu-Lapu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $181 per month, with Lapu-Lapu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Lapu-Lapu

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

497,604

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.41 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lapu-Lapu 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lapu-Lapu

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 Lapu-Lapu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $843 in Lapu-Lapu, so Lapu-Lapu is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.2 times higher, 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 $441 in Lapu-Lapu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $101 in Lapu-Lapu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lapu-Lapu – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $843 in Lapu-Lapu versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lapu-Lapu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lapu-Lapu 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 Lapu-Lapu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lapu-Lapu wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.