Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quezon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $923 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Quezon City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $923 in Quezon City.

Phuket $1,278
Quezon City $923

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,469 in Quezon City.

Phuket $2,216
Quezon City $1,469

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,016 in Quezon City.

Phuket $3,154
Quezon City $2,016

Living in Phuket is roughly 38% more expensive than in Quezon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Quezon City 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.29 ₱274

4.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.04 ₱1,217

70.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.70 ₱173

226.30%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.62 ₱167

8.02%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.67 ₱43.03

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.26 ₱16.51

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.42 ₱91.0

80.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.80 ₱179

31.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.67 ₱107

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.10 ₱70.1

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.85 ₱54.1

76.47%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.76 ₱113

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.60 ₱422

188.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.10 ₱262

-19.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.05 ₱450

54.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.96 ₱253

-26.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.41 ₱90.3

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.49 ₱223

-35.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.14 ₱73.0

82.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.26 ₱145

-33.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.29 ₱210

-58.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.36 ₱86.9

-21.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.95 ₱60.5

-45.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.75 ₱176

52.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.24 ₱462

159.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.27 ₱80.9

43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.72 ₱110

65.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.26 ₱16.52

457.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$19.11 ₱1,221

196.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.80 ₱51.2

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.23 ₱14.73

343.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.56 ₱164

44.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.17 ₱75.0

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

26.49%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

43.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$161 ₱10.3K

-40.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.15 ₱904

-20.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$24.29 ₱1,552

-30.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$37.60 ₱2,402

78.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.33 ₱213

222.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.09 ₱453

5.78%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$71.8 ₱4,588

562.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,476 ₱158.2K

354.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$34.53 ₱2,206

80.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$21.92 ₱1,400

29.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$78.5 ₱5,014

20.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$75.5 ₱4,825

13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$476 ₱30.4K

50.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$263 ₱16.8K

86.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$984 ₱62.9K

95.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$691 ₱44.1K

107.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,779 ₱177.6K

50.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,839 ₱117.5K

65.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$428 ₱27.4K

17.28%

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 Quezon City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Quezon City

$263 28.5% 46.5% $228

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Quezon City

$202 21.9% 24.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Quezon City

$199 21.6% 60.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Quezon City

$95 10.3% 22.3% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Quezon City

$90 9.8% 25.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Quezon City

$52 5.6% 37% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Quezon City

$22 2.4% 68.7% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $476 in Quezon City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 17% 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 in Phuket vs $19 in Quezon City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $202 per month, with Quezon City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

03:58 3:58 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,936,116

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Quezon City 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Quezon City

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 Quezon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quezon City is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $476 in Quezon City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Quezon City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Quezon City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.