Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lipa: $596 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Lipa
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Lipa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lipa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lipa

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $596 in Lipa, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Lipa $596

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $924 in Lipa, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Lipa $924

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,252 in Lipa, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Lipa $1,252

Phuket costs about 114% more than Lipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Lipa are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Lipa 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.12 ₱199

43.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$15.87 ₱1,011

104.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.78 ₱177

216.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.83 ₱117

54.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.42 ₱26.58

107.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.31 ₱19.52

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.02 ₱65.2

150.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.52 ₱96.8

142.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.51 ₱96.4

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.10 ₱70.1

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.83 ₱52.6

80.72%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.72 ₱109

21.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.13 ₱327

271.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.26 ₱208

1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.81 ₱498

39.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.28 ₱145

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.57 ₱99.7

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.28 ₱145

-1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.01 ₱64.3

105.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.67 ₱106

-9.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.70 ₱109

-18.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.60 ₱38.36

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.49 ₱31.10

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.91 ₱186

44.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.39 ₱534

123.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.89 ₱56.9

104.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.94 ₱124

46.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.27 ₱17.23

437.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$4.80 ₱306

1080.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.68 ₱43.28

344.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.24 ₱15.33

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.87 ₱119

97.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.10 ₱69.9

33.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

28.68%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.4K ₱982.6K

73.01%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$135 ₱8,605

-28.68%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.10 ₱1,089

-34.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$22.80 ₱1,452

-26.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$31.49 ₱2,005

113.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.83 ₱244

180.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.06 ₱322

48.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$132 ₱8,375

261.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.6K ₱675.9K

6.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$28.79 ₱1,834

116.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$19.29 ₱1,228

47.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$71.7 ₱4,565

31.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$55.7 ₱3,545

54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$79.1 ₱5,039

804.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$58.6 ₱3,729

738.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$241 ₱15.4K

699.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$177 ₱11.3K

709.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$222 ₱14.1K

126.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lipa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lipa

$59 9.8% 88.1% $432

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lipa

$168 28.2% 36.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lipa

$175 29.3% 40.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lipa

$79 13.2% 35.2% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lipa

$66 11.1% 45.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lipa

$42 7% 49.4% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lipa

$7.8 1.3% 89% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $79 in Lipa. 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 2.3 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 Lipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $168 – making Lipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Lipa

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

332,386

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lipa 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lipa

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 Lipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $596 in Lipa – Lipa comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $894 in Lipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lipa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $79 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 92% less in Lipa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $132 in Lipa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lipa, where all-in costs run around $596, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Lipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lipa – 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 Lipa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.