Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ligao City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ligao City: $720 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Ligao City
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Ligao City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ligao City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ligao 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 Ligao City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $720 in Ligao City, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Ligao City $720

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,097 in Ligao City, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Ligao City $1,097

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,473 in Ligao City, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Ligao City $1,473

Phuket costs about 80% more than Ligao City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Ligao City are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Ligao City 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.92 ₱249

11.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$16.26 ₱1,032

98.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$2.70 ₱171

222.22%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.20 ₱139

23.64%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.68 ₱43.44

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.34 ₱21.28

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.14 ₱72.3

121.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.05 ₱130

77.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.67 ₱106

4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.14 ₱72.3

27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.91 ₱57.6

64.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.86 ₱118

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$5.55 ₱352

243.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.01 ₱255

-15.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$6.83 ₱433

59.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.28 ₱145

28.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.49 ₱94.8

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.34 ₱148

-6.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.16 ₱73.3

82.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$2.07 ₱131

-29.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.18 ₱138

-37.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.09 ₱69.2

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.56 ₱35.84

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.87 ₱182

54.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.50 ₱476

143.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$0.92 ₱58.3

92.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.89 ₱120

52.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.22 ₱13.94

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$12.46 ₱790

340.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.74 ₱46.77

104.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.22 ₱13.94

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$1.86 ₱118

106.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.18 ₱74.8

26.27%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

30.68%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

36.47%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$122 ₱7,727

-19.69%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$15.64 ₱992

-27.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$23.50 ₱1,491

-26.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$31.72 ₱2,012

115.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$5.14 ₱326

112.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.14 ₱326

44.55%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$131 ₱8,331

303.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$7,914 ₱502.1K

137.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$32.26 ₱2,047

91.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$18.87 ₱1,197

49.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$70.1 ₱4,450

36.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$55.0 ₱3,488

57.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$250 ₱15.8K

188.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$166 ₱10.6K

206.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$490 ₱31.1K

298.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$346 ₱22.0K

303.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,579 ₱163.6K

62.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,132 ₱71.8K

191.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$276 ₱17.5K

78.13%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ligao City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ligao City

$166 23.1% 67.3% $343

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ligao City

$177 24.6% 33.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ligao City

$161 22.3% 27.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ligao City

$79 11% 35.4% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ligao City

$80 11.1% 33.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ligao City

$42 5.8% 49.5% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ligao City

$15 2.1% 77% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $250 in Ligao 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 78% 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 in Phuket versus $16 in Ligao City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $177 – making Ligao City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Ligao City

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

21:35 9:35 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,955

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ligao City 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ligao 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 Ligao City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,080 in Ligao City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ligao City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ligao City, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Ligao City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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