Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Puerto Princesa

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $842 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
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Puerto Princesa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $842 in Puerto Princesa.

Phuket $1,294
Puerto Princesa $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,245 in Puerto Princesa.

Phuket $2,204
Puerto Princesa $1,245

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,648 in Puerto Princesa.

Phuket $3,115
Puerto Princesa $1,648

Living in Phuket is roughly 54% more expensive than in Puerto Princesa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Puerto Princesa 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.57 ₱227

22.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$20.46 ₱1,298

57.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$3.27 ₱207

166.06%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.18 ₱139

24.77%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.77 ₱49.04

20.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.44 ₱28.18

13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.20 ₱76.3

110.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.15 ₱136

68.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.69 ₱107

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.14 ₱72.6

27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.77 ₱48.99

94.81%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.89 ₱120

14.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$4.75 ₱301

301.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.16 ₱264

-18.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$7.37 ₱467

47.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.48 ₱157

18.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.81 ₱115

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.61 ₱165

-16.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$0.93 ₱58.9

127.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.53 ₱97.1

-4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.51 ₱95.6

-9.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.90 ₱57.1

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.51 ₱32.52

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.78 ₱176

59.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.01 ₱445

160.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.08 ₱68.6

63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.84 ₱117

56.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.25 ₱15.91

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$13.38 ₱849

310.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.80 ₱50.8

88.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.22 ₱14.08

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$1.84 ₱117

108.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.02 ₱64.7

46.08%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$16.3K ₱1.0M

64.93%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

40.02%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$110 ₱6,985

-11.16%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$16.01 ₱1,016

-29.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$26.74 ₱1,696

-35.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$32.08 ₱2,035

113.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.95 ₱314

50.10%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$269 ₱17.1K

97.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$7,369 ₱467.5K

154.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$49.23 ₱3,123

25.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$27.64 ₱1,753

2.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$71.0 ₱4,506

35.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$59.7 ₱3,790

45.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$414 ₱26.3K

74.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$283 ₱17.9K

79.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$797 ₱50.6K

144.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$484 ₱30.7K

188.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$3,936 ₱249.7K

6.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,410 ₱152.9K

36.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$287 ₱18.2K

71.18%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Puerto Princesa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Puerto Princesa

$283 33.6% 44.4% $226

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Puerto Princesa

$175 20.8% 34.5% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Puerto Princesa

$153 18.2% 21% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Puerto Princesa

$93 11.1% 23.9% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Puerto Princesa

$80 9.5% 33.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Puerto Princesa

$42 5% 49.5% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Puerto Princesa

$16 1.9% 75.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $414 in Puerto Princesa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Puerto Princesa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $175 per month, with Puerto Princesa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

00:41 12:41 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

307,079

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Puerto Princesa 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Puerto Princesa

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 Princesa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 71% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $414 in Puerto Princesa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $269 in Puerto Princesa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $842 in Puerto Princesa versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Puerto Princesa 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.