Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sorsogon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sorsogon City: $835 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Sorsogon City
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Sorsogon City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sorsogon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sorsogon City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $835 in Sorsogon City.

Phuket $1,294
Sorsogon City $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,257 in Sorsogon City.

Phuket $2,204
Sorsogon City $1,257

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,678 in Sorsogon City.

Phuket $3,115
Sorsogon City $1,678

Living in Phuket is roughly 55% more expensive than in Sorsogon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Sorsogon City 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$4.08 ₱259

7.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$17.22 ₱1,095

87.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$2.89 ₱183

201.04%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.41 ₱153

12.86%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.72 ₱45.49

29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.34 ₱21.53

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.10 ₱70.1

130.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.39 ₱152

51.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.69 ₱108

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.03 ₱65.3

40.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.95 ₱60.5

57.89%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.94 ₱123

11.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$4.23 ₱269

351.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.02 ₱256

-15.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.13 ₱453

52.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.71 ₱173

8.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.87 ₱119

-9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.51 ₱160

-12.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.02 ₱64.6

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.69 ₱107

-13.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.36 ₱86.6

0.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.87 ₱55.4

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.51 ₱32.18

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.40 ₱153

84.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.71 ₱427

171.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.08 ₱68.5

63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.90 ₱121

51.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.25 ₱15.90

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$13.73 ₱873

299.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.88 ₱56.1

71.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.22 ₱13.82

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.07 ₱131

85.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.23 ₱78.1

21.14%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$20.7K ₱1.3M

29.90%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

23.89%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$126 ₱8,007

-22.34%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$15.79 ₱1,004

-28.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$26.62 ₱1,692

-35.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$30.42 ₱1,934

124.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.39 ₱279

69.25%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$244 ₱15.5K

116.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$9,086 ₱577.7K

106.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$47.80 ₱3,039

29.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$23.93 ₱1,522

18.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$76.0 ₱4,830

26.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$51.2 ₱3,252

69.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$375 ₱23.8K

92.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$264 ₱16.8K

92.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$885 ₱56.3K

120.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$521 ₱33.1K

168.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$3,757 ₱238.9K

11.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$2,142 ₱136.2K

53.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sorsogon City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sorsogon City

$264 31.6% 48.1% $245

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sorsogon City

$173 20.7% 35.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sorsogon City

$168 20.2% 33.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sorsogon City

$89 10.7% 27.1% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sorsogon City

$85 10.1% 29.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sorsogon City

$39 4.7% 52.9% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sorsogon City

$17 2% 74.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $375 in Sorsogon City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in Sorsogon City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $173 per month, with Sorsogon City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Sorsogon City

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

168,110

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sorsogon City 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sorsogon City

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 Sorsogon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sorsogon City is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,253 in Sorsogon City 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: $721 in Phuket versus $375 in Sorsogon City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $244 in Sorsogon City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sorsogon City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sorsogon City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sorsogon City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.