Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maasin City

For one person, living is cheaper in Maasin City: $731 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Maasin City
Learn more

Maasin City Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Maasin City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $731 in Maasin City.

Phuket $1,294
Maasin City $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,126 in Maasin City.

Phuket $2,204
Maasin City $1,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,521 in Maasin City.

Phuket $3,115
Maasin City $1,521

Living in Phuket is roughly 77% more expensive than in Maasin City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Maasin City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.94 ₱251

11.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$23.11 ₱1,469

39.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$3.86 ₱245

125.39%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.53 ₱161

7.51%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.63 ₱39.98

47.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.50 ₱31.81

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.67 ₱106

51.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.14 ₱136

69.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.89 ₱120

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.13 ₱71.9

28.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.82 ₱52.0

82.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.83 ₱117

18.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$4.76 ₱303

301.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.30 ₱273

-20.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.42 ₱472

46.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.54 ₱97.7

90.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.61 ₱38.80

177.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.60 ₱102

36.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.52 ₱96.3

39.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.36 ₱150

-38.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.95 ₱124

-29.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.10 ₱70.1

-1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.59 ₱37.46

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.82 ₱179

57.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.17 ₱392

195.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.21 ₱76.6

46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.65 ₱105

74.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.24 ₱15.27

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$12.16 ₱773

351.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.75 ₱47.56

101.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.20 ₱12.70

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.86 ₱118

106.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.36 ₱86.7

9.56%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

30.14%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

39.46%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$119 ₱7,566

-17.81%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$15.32 ₱974

-26.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$27.59 ₱1,754

-37.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$31.54 ₱2,005

116.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$5.33 ₱339

104.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.54 ₱352

34.12%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$132 ₱8,362

303.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$7,821 ₱497.3K

140.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$32.36 ₱2,058

90.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$19.28 ₱1,226

46.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$75.8 ₱4,820

26.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$57.8 ₱3,677

50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$253 ₱16.1K

185.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$170 ₱10.8K

199.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$480 ₱30.5K

306.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$351 ₱22.3K

297.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,608 ₱165.8K

60.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,117 ₱71.0K

195.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$125 ₱7,923

294.50%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Maasin City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Maasin City

$170 23.2% 66.6% $339

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Maasin City

$168 23% 36.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Maasin City

$162 22.1% 28.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Maasin City

$83 11.4% 32.1% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Maasin City

$91 12.4% 24.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Maasin City

$43 5.8% 48.8% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Maasin City

$15 2% 77.5% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $253 in Maasin City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Maasin City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $168 per month, with Maasin City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Maasin City

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

85,560

💱 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 5, 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 5, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Maasin City 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Maasin City is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 3.9 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: $721 in Phuket versus $253 in Maasin City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Maasin City – a meal for two runs $23 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $731 in Maasin City versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maasin City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Maasin City 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.

Expats usually find Maasin City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.