Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Makati: $1,230 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Makati
Learn more

Makati Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Makati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,230 in Makati.

Phuket $1,278
Makati $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,137 in Makati.

Phuket $2,216
Makati $2,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,044 in Makati.

Phuket $3,154
Makati $3,044

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Makati 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.40 ₱409

-30.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$38.45 ₱2,457

-15.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.78 ₱306

84.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.59 ₱166

9.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.09 ₱69.9

-20.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.49 ₱31.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.39 ₱153

7.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.18 ₱203

15.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.80 ₱115

-7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.26 ₱80.8

15.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.03 ₱65.9

45.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.37 ₱151

-11.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.91 ₱441

175.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.93 ₱315

-33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.74 ₱431

61.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.12 ₱263

-28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.90 ₱122

-11.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.19 ₱204

-29.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.25 ₱144

-7.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.55 ₱227

-57.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.50 ₱223

-60.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.07 ₱68.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.13 ₱71.9

-53.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.60 ₱166

61.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.85 ₱502

139.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.29 ₱82.6

41.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.93 ₱124

47.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.88 ₱56.4

64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$56.3 ₱3,595

0.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.65 ₱41.59

364.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.21 ₱13.38

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.90 ₱122

94.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.28 ₱81.6

14.84%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

28.73%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

41.48%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$151 ₱9,669

-36.34%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.59 ₱996

-27.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.38 ₱2,005

-46.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$53.3 ₱3,403

26.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.04 ₱897

-23.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.22 ₱461

3.88%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$776 ₱49.6K

-38.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,391 ₱472.2K

52.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$59.9 ₱3,826

4.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$36.96 ₱2,361

-23.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$81.0 ₱5,177

16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$101 ₱6,446

-14.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$829 ₱53.0K

-13.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$429 ₱27.4K

14.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,151 ₱137.4K

-10.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,308 ₱83.6K

9.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$5,714 ₱365.1K

-26.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,568 ₱228.0K

-14.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$587 ₱37.5K

-14.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Makati

$429 34.8% 12.7% $62

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Makati

$227 18.5% 14.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Makati

$198 16.1% 59.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Makati

$125 10.2% 2.9% $3.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Makati

$121 9.9% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Makati

$68 5.5% 17.7% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Makati

$61 5% 12.9% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $829 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $38 in Makati. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $227, with Makati cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

582,602

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Makati 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Makati

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 Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makati wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Makati the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $829 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,230 in Makati – Makati is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Makati is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Makati are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.