Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Muntinlupa Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Muntinlupa

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $908 in Muntinlupa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,443 in Muntinlupa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,978 in Muntinlupa.

Living in Phuket is roughly 39% more expensive than Muntinlupa, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Muntinlupa 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$4.86 ₱300

-3.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$26.26 ₱1,619

72.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$3.10 ₱191

171.94%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$2.61 ₱161

12.26%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.93 ₱57.5

-25.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.46 ₱28.06

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.39 ₱85.7

73.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.60 ₱160

43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.95 ₱120

14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$1.30 ₱79.9

40.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$1.04 ₱64.2

108.65%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.97 ₱121

12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$6.94 ₱428

184.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$4.65 ₱287

-21.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$7.39 ₱456

83.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$3.88 ₱239

-15.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.63 ₱100

-1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$2.90 ₱179

-16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$2.40 ₱148

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$2.79 ₱172

-45.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$3.15 ₱194

-53.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$2.04 ₱126

-51.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$1.00 ₱61.7

-49.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.15 ₱194

40.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$8.87 ₱547

118.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.54 ₱95.1

15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.95 ₱120

38.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.26 ₱15.88

426.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$14.26 ₱879

-20.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$0.81 ₱50.1

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.22 ₱13.56

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$2.15 ₱133

555.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.11 ₱68.6

22.52%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$25.4K ₱1.6M

10.89%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$20.4K ₱1.3M

61.07%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$136 ₱8,365

-10.30%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$21.84 ₱1,347

-37.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$30.19 ₱1,861

-39.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$49.51 ₱3,053

21.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$4.40 ₱271

289.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$6.68 ₱412

30.09%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$113 ₱6,996

511.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$4,642 ₱286.2K

237.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$45.94 ₱2,833

29.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$35.22 ₱2,172

-1.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$97.2 ₱5,996

17.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$95.3 ₱5,878

-12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$402 ₱24.8K

52.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$207 ₱12.8K

110.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$1,162 ₱71.6K

80.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$437 ₱27.0K

245.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$2,468 ₱152.2K

51.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$975 ₱60.1K

168.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$630 ₱38.8K

-19.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

7.52

-29.12%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Muntinlupa: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $402 in Muntinlupa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muntinlupa pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $26.00 in Muntinlupa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $228 per month, with Muntinlupa cheaper across the board.

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 Muntinlupa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muntinlupa wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Muntinlupa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Muntinlupa earns 24% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $402 in Muntinlupa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $113 in Muntinlupa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $908 in Muntinlupa versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Muntinlupa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Muntinlupa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Muntinlupa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $908 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Muntinlupa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Muntinlupa 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 Muntinlupa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.