Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pangasinan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pangasinan: $778 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Pangasinan, Philippines
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Pangasinan
🇵🇭 Philippines
$778
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pangasinan

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $778 in Pangasinan, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Pangasinan $778

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,151 in Pangasinan, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Pangasinan $1,151

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,523 in Pangasinan, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Pangasinan $1,523

Phuket costs about 64% more than Pangasinan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Pangasinan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Pangasinan 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$1.19 ₱75.9
275.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$13.19 ₱842
145.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$3.96 ₱253
122.47%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.2
$2.63 ₱168
7.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.36
$1.11 ₱70.8
-21.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.63
$0.49 ₱31.54
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$0.82 ₱52.3
212.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$3.09 ₱197
19.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.12 ₱71.3
48.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.24
$0.75 ₱48.15
94.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$0.73 ₱46.33
105.48%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$2.44 ₱155
-14.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$7.12 ₱454
167.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$4.70 ₱300
-29.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$6.96 ₱445
56.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$2.31 ₱148
26.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.97 ₱126
-14.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$3.19 ₱203
-29.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿69.9
$2.28 ₱145
-8.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$3.44 ₱220
-56.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.45
$3.36 ₱214
-58.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.90
$1.09 ₱69.7
-1.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.48
$0.57 ₱36.08
-8.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$2.55 ₱163
64.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$8.00 ₱510
134.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$1.36 ₱87.0
33.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$2.03 ₱130
39.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.91
$0.20 ₱12.94
625.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$13.34 ₱851
324.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.64 ₱41.05
371.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.28
$0.23 ₱14.73
343.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$1.92 ₱122
92.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.69
$0.94 ₱59.8
56.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.1K
$20.7K ₱1.3M
29.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.2K
$19.3K ₱1.2M
38.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,246
$154 ₱9,861
-37.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$15.59 ₱995
-27.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$32.21 ₱2,056
-47.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,265
$28.13 ₱1,796
139.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
$5.63 ₱360
90.59%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$6.85 ₱438
9.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$128 ₱8,174
271.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.5K
$7,285 ₱465.1K
54.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,101
$32.75 ₱2,091
90.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$19.52 ₱1,247
45.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,177
$79.3 ₱5,063
18.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,891
$55.5 ₱3,545
54.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$245 ₱15.6K
192.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$165 ₱10.5K
198.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$447 ₱28.5K
331.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$328 ₱21.0K
335.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$2,968 ₱189.5K
40.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$1,164 ₱74.3K
161.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Pangasinan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7.5
-25.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pangasinan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Pangasinan
$165 66.5% $326
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Pangasinan
$200 25% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Pangasinan
$202 62.5% $78
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Pangasinan
$84 30.9% $38
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Pangasinan
$70 42.8% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Pangasinan
$42 49.1% $40
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Pangasinan
$16 77.4% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $245 in Pangasinan. 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 $13 in Pangasinan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $200 – making Pangasinan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇵🇭 Pangasinan
🕒 Local time
12:00 12:00 PM
13:00 1:00 PM
1 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
3,188,540
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Pangasinan 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Pangasinan

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 Pangasinan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pangasinan cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,167 in Pangasinan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pangasinan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $245 there versus $716 in Phuket.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Pangasinan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $778 in Pangasinan. That makes Pangasinan about 39% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 76% less in Pangasinan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Pangasinan?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pangasinan, where all-in costs run around $778, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Pangasinan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or Pangasinan more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Pangasinan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Pangasinan 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.

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