Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Jose del Monte Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Jose del Monte

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $705 in San Jose del Monte.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,083 in San Jose del Monte.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $1,461 in San Jose del Monte.

Living in Phuket is roughly 80% more expensive than in San Jose del Monte, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, San Jose del Monte 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$3.89 ₱244

19.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$16.51 ₱1,035

95.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$2.76 ₱173

214.49%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.87 ₱117

55.08%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$0.59 ₱37.09

42.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.34 ₱21.38

44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$1.02 ₱64.1

143.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$1.64 ₱103

127.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.63 ₱102

15.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$1.11 ₱69.5

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$1.02 ₱63.7

58.82%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$2.00 ₱125

12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$5.25 ₱329

277.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$3.50 ₱220

-0.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$6.81 ₱427

66.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$2.26 ₱141

28.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$1.55 ₱97.1

10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$2.36 ₱148

-3.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$1.05 ₱65.6

102.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$1.70 ₱107

-13.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$1.81 ₱113

-21.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$0.63 ₱39.49

74.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.53 ₱33.03

13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.91 ₱183

48.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$8.79 ₱551

111.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$0.97 ₱60.7

85.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$2.11 ₱132

40.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.27 ₱17.10

733.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$11.34 ₱711

107.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.83 ₱51.9

273.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$0.23 ₱14.46

369.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$1.96 ₱123

97.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.16 ₱73.0

23.28%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

31.64%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.53%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$126 ₱7,888

-16.71%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$15.27 ₱957

-25.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$23.90 ₱1,498

-26.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$31.49 ₱1,974

72.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

$4.73 ₱296

141.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$5.15 ₱323

51.07%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$134 ₱8,380

331.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$9,002 ₱564.3K

28.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$29.14 ₱1,826

118.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$19.99 ₱1,253

45.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$72.7 ₱4,557

32.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$55.7 ₱3,492

61.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$270 ₱16.9K

171.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$171 ₱10.7K

192.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$499 ₱31.3K

326.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$348 ₱21.8K

259.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$2,557 ₱160.3K

38.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,023 ₱64.1K

156.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

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: September 6, 2026

Last update for San Jose del Monte: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $270 in San Jose del Monte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in San Jose del Monte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $173 per month, with San Jose del Monte 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 San Jose del Monte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose del Monte is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,057 in San Jose del Monte 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: $733 in Phuket versus $270 in San Jose del Monte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $134 in San Jose del Monte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $705 in San Jose del Monte versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Jose del Monte but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose del Monte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose del Monte 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 San Jose del Monte 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 San Jose del Monte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.