Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Roxas Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Roxas

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $727 in Roxas.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,078 in Phuket versus $1,124 in Roxas.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,896 in Phuket versus $1,521 in Roxas.

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than in Roxas, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Roxas 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ฿145

$3.81 ₱235

16.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 ฿1,151

$16.51 ₱1,018

112.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 ฿294

$2.42 ₱149

270.25%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.4

$2.19 ₱135

36.99%

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

$0.77 ฿25.33

$0.49 ₱30.38

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.44

$0.35 ₱21.71

34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿78.6

$1.08 ₱66.8

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿123

$1.72 ₱106

118.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ฿59.8

$1.83 ₱113

-0.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ฿46.65

$1.20 ₱74.3

18.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿50.8

$0.95 ₱58.4

63.16%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿69.9

$2.00 ₱123

6.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.76 ฿648

$5.50 ₱339

259.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$3.78 ₱233

-7.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ฿364

$8.26 ₱509

34.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿95.5

$2.31 ₱143

25.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿54.6

$1.53 ₱94.6

8.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.5

$2.39 ₱147

-5.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿68.8

$1.23 ₱75.6

70.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.24

$2.10 ₱129

-30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 ฿46.29

$2.04 ₱125

-30.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ฿35.78

$0.72 ₱44.10

51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ฿17.58

$0.62 ₱38.41

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 ฿147

$2.84 ₱175

57.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ฿614

$9.10 ₱561

105.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿60.4

$0.88 ₱54.4

109.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ฿96.7

$1.73 ₱107

70.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿74.1

$0.28 ₱17.56

707.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.07 ฿757

$10.32 ₱636

123.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ฿99.9

$0.75 ₱46.34

305.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿35.82

$0.26 ₱16.26

319.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ฿125

$2.13 ₱131

79.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿48.79

$1.20 ₱74.1

24.17%

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

$27.4K ฿900.3K

$21.9K ₱1.4M

25.23%

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

$27.5K ฿902.7K

$17.8K ₱1.1M

54.38%

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

$102 ฿3,340

$106 ₱6,528

-3.86%

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

$11.28 ฿370

$15.35 ₱946

-26.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.75 ฿582

$21.67 ₱1,336

-18.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ฿1,777

$28.18 ₱1,737

92.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.96 ฿360

$4.80 ₱296

128.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ฿258

$4.83 ₱298

62.53%

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

$577 ฿18.9K

$133 ₱8,181

334.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿381.6K

$7,021 ₱432.8K

65.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 ฿2,144

$28.46 ₱1,754

129.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 ฿948

$18.38 ₱1,133

57.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 ฿3,250

$70.2 ₱4,330

41.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,961

$59.6 ₱3,673

51.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ฿24.8K

$270 ₱16.7K

179.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 ฿16.0K

$194 ₱12.0K

151.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 ฿68.4K

$483 ₱29.8K

331.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ฿39.6K

$406 ₱25.1K

197.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 ฿117.8K

$2,527 ₱155.8K

42.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,610 ฿85.6K

$1,032 ₱63.6K

152.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.5K

$590 ₱36.3K

-14.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 18, 2026

Last update for Roxas: August 16, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Phuket and $270 in Roxas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roxas pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Roxas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $186 per month, with Roxas 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 Roxas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roxas is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Roxas. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Phuket versus $270 in Roxas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Phuket versus $133 in Roxas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $727 in Roxas versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roxas but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Roxas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Roxas 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 Roxas 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 Roxas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.