Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $784 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
Learn more

Palawan Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Palawan

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $784 in Palawan, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Palawan $784

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,223 in Palawan, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Palawan $1,223

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,661 in Palawan, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Palawan $1,661

Phuket costs about 63% more than Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Palawan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Palawan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.48 ₱220

28.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$19.38 ₱1,228

67.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.31 ₱210

166.16%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.52 ₱160

12.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.78 ₱49.38

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.39 ₱25.01

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.31 ₱82.9

95.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.15 ₱136

71.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.90 ₱120

-12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.22 ₱77.1

19.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.00 ₱63.3

50.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.00 ₱127

4.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.91 ₱501

141.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.35 ₱276

-24.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.62 ₱483

43.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.87 ₱182

2.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.58 ₱100

6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.62 ₱166

-14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.55 ₱98.4

34.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.24 ₱142

-32.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.54 ₱161

-45.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.11 ₱70.1

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.75 ₱47.76

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.89 ₱183

45.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$6.95 ₱441

170.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.17 ₱73.9

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.98 ₱126

43.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.26 ₱16.34

457.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$11.46 ₱727

394.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 ₱51.6

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.22 ₱13.93

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.08 ₱132

77.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.13 ₱71.9

30.09%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$26.1K ₱1.7M

2.51%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

28.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$112 ₱7,078

-13.72%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$33.36 ₱2,115

-66.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.52 ₱1,744

-38.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$34.20 ₱2,168

96.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$4.55 ₱289

135.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.96 ₱378

25.84%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$153 ₱9,715

210.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$4,354 ₱276.0K

158.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$46.66 ₱2,957

33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$26.57 ₱1,684

6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$74.4 ₱4,717

26.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$54.1 ₱3,430

58.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$263 ₱16.7K

171.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$174 ₱11.0K

181.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$576 ₱36.5K

234.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$390 ₱24.7K

266.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,321 ₱147.1K

79.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,122 ₱71.1K

171.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Palawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Palawan

$174 22.2% 64.5% $317

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Palawan

$202 25.8% 24% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Palawan

$173 22% 38.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Palawan

$91 11.6% 25.5% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Palawan

$84 10.7% 31.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Palawan

$46 5.9% 43.9% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 79.6% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $263 in Palawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $19 in Palawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $202 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

939,594

💱 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 Palawan 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Palawan

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 Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,176 in Palawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $153 in Palawan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Palawan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Palawan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 39% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.