Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Princesa Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Princesa

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $688 in Puerto Princesa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,032 in Puerto Princesa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $1,376 in Puerto Princesa.

Living in Phuket is roughly 79% more expensive than in Puerto Princesa, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Puerto Princesa 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$4.31 ₱270

2.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,077

$16.98 ₱1,065

89.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿298

$4.41 ₱277

102.49%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.6

$2.32 ₱146

25.00%

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

$0.88 ฿29.38

$0.90 ₱56.3

-2.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.49 ₱30.74

-2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

$1.21 ₱75.9

94.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$2.35 ₱147

58.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.3

$1.66 ₱104

12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.94

$0.94 ₱59.0

56.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.8

$0.76 ₱47.93

103.95%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.73 ₱108

21.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿654

$5.26 ₱330

272.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$5.51 ₱345

-37.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿380

$6.83 ₱429

66.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$2.25 ₱141

32.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$0.89 ₱56.0

88.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.7

$2.09 ₱131

5.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.1

$1.17 ₱73.5

84.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.54 ₱96.5

-1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.67

$1.38 ₱86.7

-2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.67

$0.80 ₱50.1

41.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.68 ₱42.51

-19.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.89 ₱181

47.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

$7.26 ₱455

162.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$1.00 ₱62.8

78.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.30 ₱81.3

113.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.4

$0.25 ₱15.56

792.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

$10.30 ₱646

120.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$0.78 ₱48.99

288.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.15

$0.22 ₱13.73

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$1.92 ₱120

102.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.77

$1.05 ₱65.8

41.90%

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

$26.6K ฿887.3K

$17.2K ₱1.1M

54.45%

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

$27.0K ฿902.2K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

41.43%

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

$102 ฿3,420

$61.2 ₱3,840

67.35%

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

$11.33 ฿378

$10.89 ₱683

4.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿581

$24.36 ₱1,528

-28.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,738

$31.20 ₱1,957

66.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿370

$4.43 ₱278

149.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$5.21 ₱327

47.60%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$135 ₱8,462

315.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.1K

$8,668 ₱543.6K

32.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,104

$31.74 ₱1,991

98.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿986

$19.57 ₱1,228

50.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,272

$72.4 ₱4,538

35.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,954

$54.8 ₱3,434

61.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$281 ₱17.6K

162.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$203 ₱12.7K

138.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.3K

$507 ₱31.8K

315.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.9K

$313 ₱19.6K

292.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.7K

$2,541 ₱159.4K

42.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.9K

$1,043 ₱65.4K

149.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$226 ₱14.2K

118.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.12

-31.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Puerto Princesa: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $281 in Puerto Princesa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 118% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Puerto Princesa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $171 per month, with Puerto Princesa cheaper across the board.

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 Princesa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Princesa is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 118% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $738 in Phuket versus $281 in Puerto Princesa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $135 in Puerto Princesa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $688 in Puerto Princesa versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Puerto Princesa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Princesa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Puerto Princesa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Puerto Princesa 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 Puerto Princesa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.