Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mandaue

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaue: $826 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Mandaue
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Mandaue Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Mandaue

🇵🇭 Philippines

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mandaue

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $826 in Mandaue.

Phuket $1,208
Mandaue $826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,204 in Mandaue.

Phuket $2,027
Mandaue $1,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,582 in Mandaue.

Phuket $2,845
Mandaue $1,582

Living in Phuket is roughly 46% more expensive than in Mandaue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Mandaue 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.03 ₱191

45.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$23.94 ₱1,507

34.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.10 ₱258

113.66%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.59 ₱163

9.27%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.63 ₱39.56

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.48 ₱30.52

-2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.72 ₱109

48.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.21 ₱139

73.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.86 ₱117

-6.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.16 ₱73.3

26.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.98 ₱61.5

54.08%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.96 ₱124

10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.17 ₱640

93.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.61 ₱290

-27.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.53 ₱474

48.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.47 ₱219

-17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.46 ₱91.8

16.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.37 ₱149

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.49 ₱93.9

37.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.43 ₱153

-40.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.95 ₱123

-29.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.18 ₱74.4

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.68 ₱42.88

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.44 ₱154

74.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.28 ₱396

195.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.25 ₱78.4

42.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.65 ₱104

72.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.26 ₱16.51

769.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$11.02 ₱694

100.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.80 ₱50.1

276.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.21 ₱13.19

404.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.86 ₱117

107.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.32 ₱83.2

9.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.8K ₱1.4M

20.97%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

38.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$98.1 ₱6,173

-1.70%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$14.39 ₱906

-23.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$27.74 ₱1,747

-38.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$31.94 ₱2,011

63.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$4.77 ₱301

133.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.52 ₱348

41.49%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$132 ₱8,303

321.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$8,157 ₱513.6K

41.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$32.92 ₱2,073

95.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$19.64 ₱1,236

46.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$76.1 ₱4,788

25.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$57.7 ₱3,631

52.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$265 ₱16.7K

178.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$253 ₱15.9K

83.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$755 ₱47.5K

177.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$349 ₱22.0K

243.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,428 ₱152.9K

43.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,003 ₱63.2K

151.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$236 ₱14.9K

112.21%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mandaue: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Mandaue

$253 30.6% 45.4% $210

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Mandaue

$207 25.1% 22.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Mandaue

$140 17% 12.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Mandaue

$84 10.2% 32.6% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Mandaue

$85 10.3% 29.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Mandaue

$43 5.2% 36.6% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Mandaue

$14 1.7% 64.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $265 in Mandaue. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 112% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $24.00 in Mandaue for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $207 per month, with Mandaue cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Mandaue

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

364,116

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Mandaue 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mandaue

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 Mandaue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandaue wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mandaue the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 112% higher in Phuket, 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: $737 in Phuket versus $265 in Mandaue. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaue – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $826 in Mandaue – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $826 in Mandaue versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandaue but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Mandaue the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mandaue delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $826 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mandaue hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Mandaue are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mandaue gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.