Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quezon City Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quezon City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $867 in Quezon City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,374 in Quezon City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $1,881 in Quezon City.

Living in Phuket is roughly 46% more expensive than in Quezon City, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Quezon City 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$4.50 ₱282

3.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$19.32 ₱1,211

66.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$2.85 ₱179

204.56%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$2.74 ₱172

5.84%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$0.75 ₱46.72

12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.27 ₱16.69

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$1.46 ₱91.7

69.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$2.75 ₱172

35.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.67 ₱104

13.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$1.17 ₱73.4

20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$0.90 ₱56.4

80.00%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$1.83 ₱115

22.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$6.89 ₱432

187.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$4.06 ₱255

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$7.29 ₱457

55.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$4.03 ₱253

-28.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$1.38 ₱86.4

24.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$3.58 ₱224

-36.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$1.14 ₱71.2

86.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$2.27 ₱142

-35.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$3.32 ₱208

-57.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$1.38 ₱86.5

-20.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.93 ₱58.1

-35.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.81 ₱176

53.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$7.70 ₱483

141.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$1.36 ₱85.2

32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$1.85 ₱116

60.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.37 ₱23.07

508.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$19.09 ₱1,197

23.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.84 ₱52.4

269.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$0.23 ₱14.45

369.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$2.61 ₱164

48.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.19 ₱74.5

20.17%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

32.62%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

42.49%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$165 ₱10.4K

-36.66%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$14.64 ₱918

-22.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$25.14 ₱1,576

-30.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$39.02 ₱2,446

39.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

$3.28 ₱206

248.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$7.13 ₱447

9.12%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$74.2 ₱4,650

677.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$2,512 ₱157.5K

361.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$35.27 ₱2,211

80.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$22.88 ₱1,435

27.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$77.6 ₱4,863

24.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$76.2 ₱4,776

18.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$313 ₱19.6K

134.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$185 ₱11.6K

170.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$744 ₱46.6K

185.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$530 ₱33.2K

136.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$2,327 ₱145.9K

51.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,409 ₱88.3K

86.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

$437 ₱27.4K

16.09%

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: September 6, 2026

Last update for Quezon City: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $313 in Quezon City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 16% 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 $19.00 in Quezon City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $206 per month, with Quezon City 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 Quezon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quezon City is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $733 in Phuket versus $313 in Quezon City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $74.2 in Quezon City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $867 in Quezon City versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quezon City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Quezon City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quezon City 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 Quezon City 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 Quezon City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.