Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Fernando, La Union

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $721 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $721 in San Fernando, La Union.

Phuket $1,294
San Fernando, La Union $721

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,102 in San Fernando, La Union.

Phuket $2,204
San Fernando, La Union $1,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,484 in San Fernando, La Union.

Phuket $3,115
San Fernando, La Union $1,484

Living in Phuket is roughly 79% more expensive than in San Fernando, La Union, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, San Fernando, La Union 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.97 ₱253

10.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$16.71 ₱1,062

93.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$2.69 ₱171

223.42%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.14 ₱136

27.10%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.69 ₱43.67

34.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.33 ₱21.23

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.19 ₱75.4

112.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.06 ₱131

76.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.65 ₱105

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.09 ₱69.6

33.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.89 ₱56.7

68.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.90 ₱121

14.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$5.52 ₱351

245.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.09 ₱260

-16.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.11 ₱452

53.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.39 ₱152

23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.57 ₱99.6

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.33 ₱148

-6.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.17 ₱74.6

81.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.06 ₱131

-29.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.30 ₱146

-40.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.08 ₱68.8

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.53 ₱33.65

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.82 ₱180

57.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$7.54 ₱479

142.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.99 ₱62.9

78.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.93 ₱122

49.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.22 ₱13.92

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$12.52 ₱796

338.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.80 ₱51.0

88.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.20 ₱12.72

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.91 ₱122

101.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.03 ₱65.7

44.66%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$20.8K ₱1.3M

29.26%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

38.22%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$119 ₱7,589

-18.05%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$15.64 ₱994

-27.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$23.84 ₱1,515

-27.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$31.64 ₱2,012

115.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$5.16 ₱328

111.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.22 ₱332

42.34%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$130 ₱8,240

309.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$7,895 ₱501.9K

137.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$33.12 ₱2,106

86.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$19.07 ₱1,213

48.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$69.2 ₱4,402

38.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$55.4 ₱3,520

56.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$251 ₱16.0K

187.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$167 ₱10.6K

204.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$490 ₱31.1K

298.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$350 ₱22.3K

299.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,657 ₱168.9K

57.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,125 ₱71.5K

193.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

San Fernando, La Union

$167 23.2% 67.2% $342

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

San Fernando, La Union

$179 24.8% 33% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

San Fernando, La Union

$159 22% 25.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11% 35.2% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11.1% 33.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

San Fernando, La Union

$42 5.8% 49.4% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

San Fernando, La Union

$15 2.1% 77% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $251 in San Fernando, La Union. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in San Fernando, La Union for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $179 per month, with San Fernando, La Union cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

83,003

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Fernando, La Union 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Fernando, La Union

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 San Fernando, La Union: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Fernando, La Union is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,082 in San Fernando, La Union to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $251 in San Fernando, La Union. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $130 in San Fernando, La Union. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $721 in San Fernando, La Union versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Fernando, La Union but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Fernando, La Union the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and San Fernando, La Union are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find San Fernando, La Union gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.