Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $1,066 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mandaluyong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,066 in Mandaluyong.

Phuket $1,278
Mandaluyong $1,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,643 in Mandaluyong.

Phuket $2,216
Mandaluyong $1,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,221 in Mandaluyong.

Phuket $3,154
Mandaluyong $2,221

Living in Phuket is roughly 20% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Mandaluyong 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.81 ₱308

-7.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.11 ₱1,029

101.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.48 ₱222

153.16%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.20 ₱140

28.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.96 ₱61.3

-9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.49 ₱31.06

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.16 ₱74.0

120.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.33 ₱149

57.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.65 ₱105

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.31 ₱83.9

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.94 ₱60.2

59.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.19 ₱140

-4.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.07 ₱324

276.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.78 ₱306

-30.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.81 ₱435

60.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.30 ₱211

-11.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.89 ₱121

-10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.00 ₱191

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.80 ₱115

15.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.21 ₱141

-31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.56 ₱164

-46.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.62 ₱39.34

72.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.48 ₱30.91

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.81 ₱179

49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.55 ₱546

119.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.88 ₱56.0

106.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.02 ₱129

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.32 ₱20.59

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$13.10 ₱837

332.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.76 ₱48.38

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.24 ₱15.38

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.90 ₱121

94.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.20 ₱76.5

22.50%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

26.95%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

42.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$138 ₱8,839

-30.35%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.04 ₱1,089

-33.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.94 ₱1,530

-29.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.69 ₱2,025

112.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.03 ₱385

24.38%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$132 ₱8,429

260.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,937 ₱571.0K

26.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$27.86 ₱1,780

123.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$27.00 ₱1,725

5.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$70.5 ₱4,505

33.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$55.2 ₱3,529

55.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$727 ₱46.4K

-1.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$457 ₱29.2K

7.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,395 ₱153.0K

-19.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$996 ₱63.6K

43.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,203 ₱268.6K

-0.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,924 ₱186.8K

4.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$537 ₱34.3K

-6.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mandaluyong

$457 42.9% 6.8% $34

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mandaluyong

$196 18.4% 26.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mandaluyong

$179 16.8% 44.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mandaluyong

$81 7.6% 33.3% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mandaluyong

$92 8.6% 24.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mandaluyong

$44 4.1% 46.8% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mandaluyong

$16 1.5% 76.8% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandaluyong pays 7% 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 $16 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $196 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

425,758

💱 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 Mandaluyong 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,066 in Mandaluyong, so Mandaluyong is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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 $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mandaluyong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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