Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Jose del Monte

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose del Monte: $731 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in San Jose del Monte
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San Jose del Monte Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Jose del Monte

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Jose del Monte

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 Jose del Monte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $731 in San Jose del Monte.

Phuket $1,278
San Jose del Monte $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,096 in San Jose del Monte.

Phuket $2,216
San Jose del Monte $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,461 in San Jose del Monte.

Phuket $3,154
San Jose del Monte $1,461

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than in San Jose del Monte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, San Jose del Monte 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.94 ₱252

13.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.34 ₱1,044

98.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.73 ₱174

222.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.74 ₱111

62.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.56 ₱35.61

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.31 ₱19.71

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.94 ₱59.8

172.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.60 ₱102

130.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.64 ₱105

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.14 ₱72.8

28.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.94 ₱59.9

59.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.02 ₱129

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.07 ₱324

276.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.28 ₱210

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.92 ₱442

57.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.27 ₱145

29.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.57 ₱100

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.37 ₱152

-5.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.02 ₱64.9

103.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.70 ₱109

-11.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.69 ₱108

-18.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.65 ₱41.24

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.48 ₱30.52

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.86 ₱183

46.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.81 ₱563

113.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.94 ₱60.1

93.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.96 ₱126

44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.21 ₱13.69

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$12.48 ₱797

354.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.75 ₱48.17

302.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.23 ₱14.73

343.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.91 ₱122

93.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.22 ₱78.2

20.49%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

28.38%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

42.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$122 ₱7,788

-20.96%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.32 ₱979

-26.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.05 ₱1,472

-26.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$35.72 ₱2,282

88.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.50 ₱351

95.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.22 ₱334

43.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$129 ₱8,244

268.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,762 ₱559.8K

28.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.74 ₱1,836

116.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$18.98 ₱1,213

49.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$70.5 ₱4,502

33.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$53.7 ₱3,428

59.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$230 ₱14.7K

210.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$189 ₱12.1K

159.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$437 ₱27.9K

340.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$361 ₱23.1K

295.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,325 ₱148.6K

79.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,217 ₱77.8K

150.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Jose del Monte: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

San Jose del Monte

$189 25.9% 61.5% $302

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

San Jose del Monte

$170 23.3% 36% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

San Jose del Monte

$160 21.9% 28.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Jose del Monte

$77 10.6% 36.6% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Jose del Monte

$72 9.9% 40.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

San Jose del Monte

$46 6.3% 43.9% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

San Jose del Monte

$15 2.1% 78.4% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $230 in San Jose del Monte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in San Jose del Monte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $170 per month, with San Jose del Monte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 San Jose del Monte

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

651,813

💱 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 San Jose del Monte 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Jose del Monte

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 Jose del Monte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose del Monte is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,096 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: $716 in Phuket versus $230 in San Jose del Monte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $129 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 56% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find San Jose del Monte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.