Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Galera

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Galera: $827 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Galera
Learn more

Puerto Galera Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Puerto Galera

🇵🇭 Philippines

$827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Puerto Galera

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $827 in Puerto Galera.

Phuket $1,278
Puerto Galera $827

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,247 in Puerto Galera.

Phuket $2,216
Puerto Galera $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,668 in Puerto Galera.

Phuket $3,154
Puerto Galera $1,668

Living in Phuket is roughly 55% more expensive than in Puerto Galera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Puerto Galera 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.39 ₱281

1.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$18.41 ₱1,176

76.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.69 ₱172

227.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.69 ₱172

5.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.69 ₱44.02

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.28 ₱17.93

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.44 ₱92.2

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.79 ₱178

31.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.65 ₱105

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.14 ₱73.0

28.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.89 ₱56.7

68.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.70 ₱109

22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.84 ₱437

178.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.05 ₱259

-18.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.86 ₱439

59.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.92 ₱251

-25.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.39 ₱89.0

21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.54 ₱226

-36.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.15 ₱73.5

80.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.30 ₱147

-34.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.24 ₱207

-57.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.39 ₱88.9

-23.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.95 ₱61.0

-45.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.80 ₱179

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.42 ₱474

153.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.33 ₱84.9

36.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.73 ₱110

64.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.23 ₱14.43

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$13.69 ₱875

313.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.82 ₱52.2

268.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.21 ₱13.38

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.44 ₱156

51.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.20 ₱76.8

22.50%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

29.20%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

43.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$164 ₱10.5K

-41.39%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.04 ₱897

-19.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.63 ₱1,510

-28.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$35.96 ₱2,298

86.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.19 ₱332

106.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.17 ₱458

4.60%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$71.8 ₱4,584

563.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,498 ₱159.6K

350.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$34.70 ₱2,217

79.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$22.04 ₱1,408

28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$77.8 ₱4,971

21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$73.6 ₱4,701

16.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$255 ₱16.3K

180.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$170 ₱10.8K

189.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$482 ₱30.8K

300.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$353 ₱22.6K

305.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,553 ₱163.1K

63.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,027 ₱65.6K

196.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Puerto Galera: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Puerto Galera

$170 20.5% 65.4% $321

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Puerto Galera

$203 24.5% 23.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Puerto Galera

$202 24.4% 62.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Galera

$94 11.3% 23.2% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Puerto Galera

$92 11.2% 24.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Puerto Galera

$50 6.1% 38.8% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Puerto Galera

$16 2% 76.7% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $255 in Puerto Galera. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $18 in Puerto Galera for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $203 per month, with Puerto Galera cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Puerto Galera

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

36,606

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Puerto Galera 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puerto Galera

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 Puerto Galera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Galera is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,241 in Puerto Galera 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: $716 in Phuket versus $255 in Puerto Galera. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $72 in Puerto Galera. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $827 in Puerto Galera versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Puerto Galera but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Galera 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 Puerto Galera are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Puerto Galera gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.