Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mambajao

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $497 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
Learn more

Mambajao Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mambajao

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $497 in Mambajao, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Mambajao $497

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $799 in Mambajao, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Mambajao $799

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,101 in Mambajao, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Mambajao $1,101

Phuket costs about 160% more than Mambajao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mambajao are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Mambajao 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$1.36 ₱85.9

222.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$15.81 ₱1,002

104.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$3.20 ₱203

171.87%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.18 ₱138

24.77%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.38 ₱23.92

144.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.28 ₱17.78

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$0.94 ₱59.4

169.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.11 ₱70.6

227.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.84 ₱53.0

107.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.57 ₱36.41

154.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.67 ₱42.69

123.88%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.20 ₱76.1

80.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$5.43 ₱344

251.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.17 ₱265

-18.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$5.59 ₱354

94.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$2.28 ₱144

28.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.50 ₱94.9

12.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$2.39 ₱152

-8.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.12 ₱71.1

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.23 ₱78.2

18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$2.20 ₱139

-37.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.09 ₱68.8

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.52 ₱33.24

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.91 ₱185

52.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.44 ₱472

145.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.01 ₱64.3

75.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.15 ₱72.9

150.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.21 ₱13.01

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$12.49 ₱791

339.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.76 ₱47.97

98.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.22 ₱13.95

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.86 ₱118

106.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.23 ₱78.1

21.14%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

28.42%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

36.74%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$63.3 ₱4,011

54.49%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$15.26 ₱967

-26.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$19.19 ₱1,216

-10.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$30.84 ₱1,954

121.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$5.33 ₱338

104.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.00 ₱317

48.60%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$128 ₱8,132

313.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$7,987 ₱506.0K

135.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$32.01 ₱2,028

92.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$19.38 ₱1,228

45.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$69.5 ₱4,400

38.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$55.5 ₱3,514

56.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$96.7 ₱6,129

645.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$55.8 ₱3,532

812.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$235 ₱14.9K

728.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$154 ₱9,745

808.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$2,632 ₱166.7K

59.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,104 ₱70.0K

198.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$150 ₱9,497

227.99%

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 Mambajao: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Mambajao

$56 11.2% 89% $453

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Mambajao

$152 30.6% 43% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Mambajao

$98 19.7% 22.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Mambajao

$79 16% 35.4% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Mambajao

$56 11.3% 53.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Mambajao

$41 8.2% 50.9% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Mambajao

$15 3.1% 77% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $97 in Mambajao. 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 3.3 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 Mambajao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $152 – making Mambajao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

41,094

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Mambajao 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mambajao

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 Mambajao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 160% more than Mambajao, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $746 in Mambajao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mambajao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $97 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $497 in Mambajao. That makes Mambajao about 62% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 77% less in Mambajao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mambajao, where all-in costs run around $497, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Mambajao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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