Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Juan, Philippines

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $727 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
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in San Juan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $727 in San Juan.

Phuket $1,278
San Juan $727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,099 in San Juan.

Phuket $2,216
San Juan $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,471 in San Juan.

Phuket $3,154
San Juan $1,471

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, San Juan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.00 ₱255

11.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$16.19 ₱1,032

100.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.80 ₱178

214.64%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.61 ₱166

8.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.61 ₱38.78

42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.33 ₱21.31

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.01 ₱64.3

153.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.54 ₱98.3

138.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.67 ₱106

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.13 ₱72.3

29.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.91 ₱58.1

64.84%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.77 ₱113

18.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.98 ₱317

282.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.31 ₱211

-0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.98 ₱445

56.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.20 ₱140

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.40 ₱88.9

20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.27 ₱145

-0.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.00 ₱63.9

108.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.73 ₱110

-12.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.69 ₱108

-18.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.60 ₱38.18

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.89 ₱56.4

-41.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.70 ₱172

55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.51 ₱479

150.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.93 ₱59.5

95.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.74 ₱111

63.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.25 ₱15.92

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$11.48 ₱732

393.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.75 ₱47.56

302.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.21 ₱13.37

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.87 ₱119

97.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.17 ₱74.5

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

27.41%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

39.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$136 ₱8,682

-29.28%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.17 ₱903

-20.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$23.95 ₱1,526

-29.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$27.03 ₱1,722

148.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.16 ₱329

107.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.01 ₱319

49.70%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$70.3 ₱4,482

576.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,442 ₱155.6K

361.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$28.72 ₱1,830

117.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$19.22 ₱1,225

47.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$71.0 ₱4,522

32.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$55.3 ₱3,522

55.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$269 ₱17.1K

166.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$170 ₱10.8K

188.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$493 ₱31.4K

291.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$357 ₱22.7K

300.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,304 ₱146.8K

81.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,186 ₱75.6K

156.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$235 ₱15.0K

113.49%

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 Juan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

San Juan

$170 23.4% 65.4% $321

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

San Juan

$169 23.3% 36.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

San Juan

$174 24% 40.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Juan

$78 10.8% 35.7% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Juan

$84 11.5% 31.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

San Juan

$37 5.1% 55% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

San Juan

$14 2% 79.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $269 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $169 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

03:19 3:19 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

126,347

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket San Juan 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.1 times higher, 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 $269 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $70 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $727 in San Juan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan 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.

Expats usually find San Juan 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.