Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Marawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Marawi: $718 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
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Marawi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Marawi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $718 in Marawi.

Phuket $1,294
Marawi $718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,100 in Marawi.

Phuket $2,204
Marawi $1,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,482 in Marawi.

Phuket $3,115
Marawi $1,482

Living in Phuket is roughly 80% more expensive than in Marawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Marawi 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.97 ₱251

10.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

$16.15 ₱1,024

100.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$2.72 ₱172

219.85%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

$2.13 ₱135

27.70%

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

$0.69 ₱43.51

34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

$0.33 ₱21.08

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$1.20 ₱76.3

110.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.02 ₱128

79.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.64 ₱104

6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$1.09 ₱68.9

33.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.89 ₱56.2

68.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$1.86 ₱118

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

$5.51 ₱349

246.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.21 ₱267

-19.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$7.15 ₱453

52.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$2.40 ₱152

22.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.56 ₱98.9

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$2.33 ₱147

-6.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.16 ₱73.4

82.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$2.12 ₱134

-31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$2.19 ₱139

-37.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

$1.09 ₱68.9

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$0.56 ₱35.55

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.85 ₱180

55.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$7.30 ₱463

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$0.93 ₱58.8

90.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$1.91 ₱121

50.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

$0.24 ₱15.24

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

$12.57 ₱796

336.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.80 ₱50.5

88.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

$0.20 ₱12.65

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.87 ₱118

105.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.17 ₱74.4

27.35%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

26.21%

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

37.36%

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

$119 ₱7,571

-18.11%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$15.62 ₱990

-27.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

$24.25 ₱1,537

-29.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

$30.78 ₱1,951

121.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$5.09 ₱323

114.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.17 ₱328

43.71%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$130 ₱8,226

308.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

$7,809 ₱494.9K

140.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

$32.78 ₱2,078

88.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

$19.34 ₱1,226

46.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

$71.5 ₱4,532

34.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

$54.6 ₱3,458

59.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$248 ₱15.7K

190.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$164 ₱10.4K

210.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

$497 ₱31.5K

292.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$352 ₱22.3K

297.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

$2,638 ₱167.2K

58.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

$1,089 ₱69.0K

202.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$277 ₱17.5K

77.69%

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 Marawi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Marawi

$164 22.8% 67.8% $345

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Marawi

$179 24.9% 33.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Marawi

$159 22.2% 26.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Marawi

$80 11.2% 34.7% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Marawi

$80 11.1% 33.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Marawi

$41 5.7% 50.6% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Marawi

$15 2.1% 76.8% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $248 in Marawi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 78% 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 in Phuket vs $16 in Marawi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $179 per month, with Marawi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Marawi

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

207,010

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Marawi 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Marawi

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 Marawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $718 in Marawi, so Marawi is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $248 in Marawi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $718 in Marawi – Marawi is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Marawi runs roughly 77% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $718 in Marawi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Marawi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Marawi 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 Marawi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.