Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pasay

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $898 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pasay

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $898 in Pasay, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Pasay $898

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,224 in Pasay, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Pasay $1,224

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,551 in Pasay, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Pasay $1,551

Phuket costs about 42% more than Pasay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Pasay are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Pasay 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.39 ₱280

1.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$18.79 ₱1,197

72.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.79 ₱178

215.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.12 ₱135

33.49%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.59 ₱37.36

47.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.33 ₱21.24

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.15 ₱73.5

122.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.54 ₱98.0

138.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.63 ₱104

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.16 ₱74.1

25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.02 ₱65.1

47.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.83 ₱117

14.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.97 ₱316

283.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.23 ₱270

-21.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.83 ₱435

59.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.19 ₱140

33.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.56 ₱99.5

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.34 ₱149

-3.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.11 ₱70.6

87.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.33 ₱148

-35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$3.27 ₱208

-57.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.23 ₱78.2

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.85 ₱54.2

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.96 ₱188

41.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.56 ₱482

148.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.88 ₱56.1

106.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.73 ₱110

64.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.20 ₱12.46

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.80 ₱51.2

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.21 ₱13.37

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.89 ₱120

95.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.23 ₱78.4

19.51%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$20.6K ₱1.3M

29.93%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

38.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$139 ₱8,867

-30.76%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.40 ₱918

-21.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$24.03 ₱1,531

-29.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$47.26 ₱3,011

42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.99 ₱318

50.30%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$70.6 ₱4,499

574.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,430 ₱154.9K

363.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$34.90 ₱2,224

78.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$19.11 ₱1,218

48.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$70.2 ₱4,475

34.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$62.5 ₱3,985

37.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$427 ₱27.2K

67.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$312 ₱19.9K

57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$828 ₱52.7K

132.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$366 ₱23.3K

290.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,864 ₱118.8K

123.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$567 ₱36.1K

437.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$512 ₱32.6K

-1.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pasay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Pasay

$312 34.8% 36.4% $179

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Pasay

$183 20.4% 31.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Pasay

$178 19.8% 42.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pasay

$84 9.4% 31% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pasay

$81 9.1% 33.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Pasay

$57 6.4% 30.4% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3% 96.3% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $427 in Pasay. 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 Pasay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $183 – making Pasay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Pasay

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

416,522

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Pasay 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pasay

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 Pasay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $898 in Pasay – Pasay comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,347 in Pasay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $19 in Pasay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pasay, where all-in costs run around $898, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Pasay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pasay – 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.