Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and San Pablo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $622 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $622 in San Pablo.

Phuket $1,278
San Pablo $622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $900 in San Pablo.

Phuket $2,216
San Pablo $900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,178 in San Pablo.

Phuket $3,154
San Pablo $1,178

Living in Phuket is roughly 106% more expensive than in San Pablo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, San Pablo 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.93 ₱251

13.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.44 ₱1,050

97.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.72 ₱174

223.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.82 ₱116

55.49%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.38 ₱24.05

128.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.22 ₱13.80

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.95 ₱60.8

169.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.60 ₱102

130.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.65 ₱106

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.10 ₱70.4

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.96 ₱61.5

56.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.97 ₱126

6.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.15 ₱329

270.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.40 ₱217

-2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.35 ₱470

48.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.26 ₱144

29.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.42 ₱90.7

19.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.58 ₱101

42.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.01 ₱64.4

105.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.54 ₱98.3

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.70 ₱109

-18.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.61 ₱38.84

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.48 ₱30.92

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.74 ₱175

53.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.29 ₱402

198.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.90 ₱57.7

102.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.95 ₱125

45.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.24 ₱15.40

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.75 ₱47.97

302.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.22 ₱14.03

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.86 ₱119

98.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.18 ₱75.4

24.58%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

28.02%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

39.67%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$137 ₱8,783

-29.91%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.65 ₱744

-3.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.40 ₱1,495

-27.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.95 ₱317

51.52%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$130 ₱8,275

267.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.9K ₱693.3K

3.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.47 ₱1,819

119.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$18.79 ₱1,201

51.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$69.8 ₱4,462

35.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$55.3 ₱3,534

55.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$140 ₱8,921

412.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$125 ₱7,980

293.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$202 ₱12.9K

854.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$187 ₱11.9K

665.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$924 ₱59.0K

351.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$789 ₱50.4K

285.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$278 ₱17.8K

80.69%

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 Pablo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

San Pablo

$125 20.1% 74.6% $366

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

San Pablo

$162 26.1% 39.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

San Pablo

$173 27.8% 38.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Pablo

$78 12.5% 36.4% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

San Pablo

$72 11.6% 41% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

San Pablo

$9.9 * 1.6% 87.9% $72

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

San Pablo

$2.8 * 0.5% 96% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $140 in San Pablo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 81% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in San Pablo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $162 per month, with San Pablo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

266,068

💱 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 Pablo 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
San Pablo

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 Pablo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pablo is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Phuket, 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 $140 in San Pablo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $130 in San Pablo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Pablo – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $622 in San Pablo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in San Pablo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes San Pablo 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 Pablo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – San Pablo wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.