Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lucena

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucena: $632 a month against $1,278 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Lucena
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Lucena Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lucena

🇵🇭 Philippines

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lucena

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $632 in Lucena, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Lucena $632

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,026 in Lucena, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Lucena $1,026

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,421 in Lucena, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Lucena $1,421

Phuket costs about 102% more than Lucena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Lucena are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Lucena 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.42 ₱90.9

214.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$18.88 ₱1,208

71.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$1.60 ₱103

450.63%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.36 ₱86.7

108.09%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.30 ₱18.95

190.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.28 ₱18.06

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.37 ₱87.4

86.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.31 ₱83.9

180.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.61 ₱103

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.10 ₱70.6

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.91 ₱58.2

64.84%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.80 ₱115

16.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.73 ₱431

183.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.18 ₱267

-21.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.89 ₱441

58.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.94 ₱252

-25.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.41 ₱90.1

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.52 ₱226

-36.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.11 ₱70.9

87.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.33 ₱149

-35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$3.25 ₱208

-57.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.40 ₱89.8

-23.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.91 ₱58.3

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.79 ₱179

50.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.37 ₱472

154.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.30 ₱83.3

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.81 ₱116

56.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.22 ₱14.02

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$12.17 ₱779

365.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.76 ₱48.66

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.21 ₱13.41

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.55 ₱164

44.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.16 ₱74.0

26.72%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$21.1K ₱1.4M

26.62%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

43.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$46.73 ₱2,990

106.18%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.27 ₱401

79.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$10.74 ₱687

56.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$33.83 ₱2,165

98.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$5.35 ₱342

100.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.17 ₱459

4.60%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$70.3 ₱4,499

576.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$2,461 ₱157.5K

357.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$35.51 ₱2,272

75.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$22.17 ₱1,419

28.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$78.7 ₱5,037

19.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$74.1 ₱4,741

15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$246 ₱15.7K

190.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$164 ₱10.5K

199.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$481 ₱30.8K

300.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$355 ₱22.7K

303.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,752 ₱176.1K

51.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,144 ₱73.2K

166.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$307 ₱19.7K

63.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lucena: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lucena

$164 26% 66.6% $327

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lucena

$202 32% 24% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lucena

$64 10.1% 48.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lucena

$95 15% 22.3% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lucena

$44 7% 63.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lucena

$48 7.6% 41.4% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lucena

$15 2.4% 79% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $246 in Lucena. 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 64% 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 $19 in Lucena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $202 – making Lucena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Lucena

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

278,924

💱 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 Lucena 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lucena

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 Lucena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $632 in Lucena – Lucena comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $948 in Lucena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lucena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $246 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $70 in Lucena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lucena, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Lucena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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