Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Olongapo Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Olongapo

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Phuket versus $699 in Olongapo.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,237 in Phuket versus $1,043 in Olongapo.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,251 in Phuket versus $1,386 in Olongapo.

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than Olongapo, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Olongapo 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 ฿147

$3.59 ₱216

25.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.62 ฿1,515

$13.24 ₱797

252.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.49 ฿276

$2.59 ₱156

227.80%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ฿100

$2.34 ₱141

31.62%

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

$0.68 ฿22.07

$0.64 ₱38.34

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.75

$0.37 ₱22.57

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿78.8

$1.39 ₱83.9

74.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿118

$1.64 ₱98.8

121.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ฿71.1

$1.91 ₱115

14.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿59.0

$0.43 ₱25.62

320.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ฿72.5

$0.86 ₱52.1

159.30%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿72.7

$2.07 ₱124

8.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿637

$9.14 ₱550

114.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 ฿121

$2.82 ₱170

31.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 ฿438

$8.44 ₱508

59.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ฿109

$2.65 ₱159

26.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿52.5

$1.08 ₱64.9

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.3

$2.38 ₱143

1.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿64.6

$1.21 ₱73.0

64.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.76

$1.82 ₱109

-15.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 ฿47.19

$2.19 ₱132

-33.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿32.96

$0.73 ₱44.18

38.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.73

$0.45 ₱27.17

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿139

$3.38 ₱203

26.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 ฿621

$9.15 ₱551

108.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿59.7

$1.03 ₱62.1

78.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ฿89.1

$2.34 ₱141

17.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿46.06

$0.20 ₱12.02

610.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.72 ฿381

$18.28 ₱1,101

-35.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ฿97.6

$0.92 ₱55.7

226.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 ฿34.00

$0.24 ₱14.50

337.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 ฿452

$2.41 ₱145

476.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿41.94

$1.10 ₱66.1

17.27%

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

$28.0K ฿911.1K

$32.0K ₱1.9M

-12.40%

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

$33.5K ฿1.1M

$20.4K ₱1.2M

64.12%

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

$122 ฿3,964

$146 ₱8,764

-16.18%

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

$13.93 ฿453

$34.75 ₱2,093

-59.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.87 ฿613

$26.15 ₱1,575

-27.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 ฿1,992

$15.31 ₱922

300.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿547

$4.44 ₱268

279.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ฿289

$4.37 ₱263

103.43%

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

$691 ฿22.5K

$88.2 ₱5,309

684.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ฿525.2K

$4,756 ₱286.4K

239.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,878

$48.57 ₱2,925

18.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.39 ฿1,150

$27.83 ₱1,676

27.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,685

$76.4 ₱4,603

48.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 ฿2,698

$45.67 ₱2,750

81.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 ฿19.7K

$122 ₱7,323

398.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ฿14.6K

$89.4 ₱5,383

401.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 ฿66.0K

$267 ₱16.1K

661.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 ฿48.5K

$179 ₱10.8K

733.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ฿116.5K

$2,448 ₱147.4K

46.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,585 ฿84.0K

$1,008 ₱60.7K

156.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ฿16.4K

$140 ₱8,426

260.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.5

18.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 13, 2026

Last update for Olongapo: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $607 in Phuket and $122 in Olongapo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 261% 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: $47.00 in Phuket vs $13.00 in Olongapo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $184 per month, with Olongapo 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 Olongapo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olongapo wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Olongapo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Phuket pays 261% more on average, 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: $607 in Phuket versus $122 in Olongapo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Phuket versus $88.2 in Olongapo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $699 in Olongapo versus $1,223 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Olongapo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Olongapo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Olongapo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $699 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Olongapo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Olongapo 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 Olongapo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.