Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Siargao

For one person, living is cheaper in Siargao: $783 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Siargao
Learn more

Siargao Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Siargao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Siargao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $783 in Siargao.

Phuket $1,278
Siargao $783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,222 in Siargao.

Phuket $2,216
Siargao $1,222

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,660 in Siargao.

Phuket $3,154
Siargao $1,660

Living in Phuket is roughly 63% more expensive than in Siargao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Siargao 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.66 ₱233

22.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.68 ₱1,253

64.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.32 ₱211

165.36%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.50 ₱160

13.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.83 ₱52.7

4.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.40 ₱25.27

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.29 ₱81.9

98.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.16 ₱137

70.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.92 ₱122

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.26 ₱80.2

15.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.93 ₱59.5

61.29%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.05 ₱131

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.11 ₱517

135.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.26 ₱272

-22.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.51 ₱478

45.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.90 ₱185

1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.52 ₱97.1

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.59 ₱165

-13.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.57 ₱99.8

32.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.19 ₱140

-31.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.59 ₱165

-46.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.08 ₱68.6

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.72 ₱45.97

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.80 ₱179

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.94 ₱442

170.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.16 ₱73.6

56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.03 ₱129

39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.26 ₱16.42

457.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$11.37 ₱724

398.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.78 ₱49.61

287.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.24 ₱15.37

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.09 ₱133

76.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.14 ₱72.5

28.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$26.6K ₱1.7M

0.52%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$20.3K ₱1.3M

31.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$112 ₱7,124

-13.86%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$32.27 ₱2,056

-65.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$27.58 ₱1,757

-38.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$33.95 ₱2,162

98.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.50 ₱287

138.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.98 ₱381

25.42%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$151 ₱9,619

215.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$4,239 ₱270.0K

165.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$45.52 ₱2,899

36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.51 ₱1,689

7.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$76.5 ₱4,869

23.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$54.2 ₱3,450

58.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$263 ₱16.8K

171.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$173 ₱11.0K

183.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$580 ₱37.0K

232.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$387 ₱24.6K

270.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,322 ₱147.9K

79.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,123 ₱71.5K

171.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Siargao: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Siargao

$173 22.1% 64.7% $318

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Siargao

$202 25.8% 24.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Siargao

$172 21.9% 37.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Siargao

$91 11.6% 25.2% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Siargao

$85 10.8% 30.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Siargao

$46 5.9% 44.2% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Siargao

$14 1.8% 79.6% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $263 in Siargao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Siargao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $202 per month, with Siargao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Siargao

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

150,000

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Siargao 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Siargao

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 Siargao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siargao is about 39% 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 $1,175 in Siargao 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 $263 in Siargao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $151 in Siargao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $783 in Siargao versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Siargao but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Siargao 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 Siargao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.