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: $1,250 in Phuket versus $907 in Muntinlupa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,445 in Muntinlupa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $1,982 in Muntinlupa.

Living in Phuket is roughly 38% more expensive than in Muntinlupa, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$4.86 ₱300

-6.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$27.00 ₱1,665

71.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$3.10 ₱191

185.16%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$2.71 ₱167

12.92%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.93 ₱57.6

-21.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.46 ₱28.15

-13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$1.45 ₱89.7

67.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$2.68 ₱165

41.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.97 ₱121

14.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.24 ₱76.3

45.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.04 ₱64.3

116.35%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$2.02 ₱124

11.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$6.92 ₱427

181.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$4.77 ₱294

-23.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$7.66 ₱472

70.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$4.04 ₱249

-20.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.59 ₱97.8

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$2.96 ₱182

-19.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$2.42 ₱149

-16.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$2.67 ₱165

-42.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.02 ₱186

-50.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.97 ₱121

-50.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$1.00 ₱61.8

-48.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.13 ₱193

41.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$8.71 ₱537

110.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.55 ₱95.4

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$1.98 ₱122

35.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$0.28 ₱17.35

403.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$13.98 ₱862

-16.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$0.81 ₱50.0

283.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$0.24 ₱14.81

333.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$2.12 ₱131

565.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.10 ₱68.1

19.09%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$26.1K ₱1.6M

6.68%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

60.34%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$139 ₱8,559

-11.77%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$21.53 ₱1,328

-36.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$30.18 ₱1,861

-38.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$49.03 ₱3,024

23.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$4.49 ₱277

278.17%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$6.59 ₱406

37.63%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$115 ₱7,068

516.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$4,636 ₱285.9K

240.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$46.47 ₱2,866

26.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$34.50 ₱2,127

2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$98.6 ₱6,080

17.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$95.1 ₱5,863

-11.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$399 ₱24.6K

56.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$210 ₱13.0K

111.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$1,160 ₱71.5K

75.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$438 ₱27.0K

240.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$2,398 ₱147.9K

45.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$966 ₱59.6K

166.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$624 ₱38.5K

-19.86%

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Muntinlupa: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $399 in Muntinlupa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muntinlupa pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $27.00 in Muntinlupa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $229 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 38% 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, salaries run 25% lower in Muntinlupa. 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: $626 in Phuket versus $399 in Muntinlupa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $115 in Muntinlupa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $907 in Muntinlupa versus $1,250 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 $907 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 38% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.