Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pagadian

For one person, living is cheaper in Pagadian: $731 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Pagadian
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Pagadian Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Pagadian

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pagadian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $731 in Pagadian.

Phuket $1,208
Pagadian $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,112 in Pagadian.

Phuket $2,027
Pagadian $1,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,494 in Pagadian.

Phuket $2,845
Pagadian $1,494

Living in Phuket is roughly 65% more expensive than in Pagadian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Pagadian 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.97 ₱250

10.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$16.95 ₱1,067

90.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$2.75 ₱173

218.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.91 ₱120

48.17%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.80 ₱50.6

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.25 ₱15.76

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.46 ₱92.2

74.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.99 ₱125

92.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.69 ₱106

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.16 ₱73.1

26.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.96 ₱60.8

57.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.87 ₱118

16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.47 ₱344

260.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.27 ₱269

-21.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.29 ₱459

53.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.35 ₱148

21.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.53 ₱96.4

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.41 ₱151

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.13 ₱71.3

81.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.01 ₱127

-27.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.93 ₱121

-28.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.92 ₱58.1

16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.55 ₱34.43

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.87 ₱181

48.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.48 ₱471

148.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.01 ₱63.8

76.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.94 ₱122

46.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.26 ₱16.37

769.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$11.25 ₱708

96.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.78 ₱48.85

285.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.21 ₱13.17

404.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.88 ₱118

105.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.03 ₱64.9

40.78%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

23.68%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

42.03%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$125 ₱7,875

-22.95%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.14 ₱953

-27.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$24.15 ₱1,521

-29.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$32.36 ₱2,037

61.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$4.70 ₱296

137.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.07 ₱319

54.04%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$130 ₱8,191

327.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,984 ₱502.7K

45.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$32.64 ₱2,055

96.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$19.82 ₱1,248

44.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$72.4 ₱4,556

31.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$55.1 ₱3,470

59.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$266 ₱16.7K

177.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$171 ₱10.7K

171.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$516 ₱32.5K

306.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$354 ₱22.3K

238.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,381 ₱149.9K

46.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$997 ₱62.8K

153.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.79

-17.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pagadian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Pagadian

$171 23.3% 63.1% $292

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Pagadian

$180 24.6% 33.1% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Pagadian

$164 22.5% 32% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Pagadian

$81 11.1% 34.9% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Pagadian

$78 10.7% 35.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Pagadian

$43 5.8% 37.3% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Pagadian

$14 1.9% 64.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $266 in Pagadian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Pagadian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $180 per month, with Pagadian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Pagadian

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

199,060

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Pagadian 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pagadian

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 Pagadian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Pagadian differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $731 including rent). Pagadian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,096 in Pagadian to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $266 in Pagadian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pagadian – a meal for two runs $17.00 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 $731 in Pagadian – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $731 in Pagadian versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pagadian but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pagadian 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Pagadian 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 Pagadian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.