Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Subic Bay Freeport Zone

For one person, living is cheaper in Subic Bay Freeport Zone: $641 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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Subic Bay Freeport Zone Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇵🇭 Philippines

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Subic Bay Freeport Zone

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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $641 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Phuket $1,278
Subic Bay Freeport Zone $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $978 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Phuket $2,216
Subic Bay Freeport Zone $978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,315 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Phuket $3,154
Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,315

Living in Phuket is roughly 99% more expensive than in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Subic Bay Freeport Zone 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.60 ₱293

-2.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$14.04 ₱895

130.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.13 ₱327

71.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.21 ₱141

28.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.68 ₱43.06

27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.33 ₱21.33

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.39 ₱88.6

84.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.01 ₱128

83.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.58 ₱100

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.09 ₱69.6

33.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.85 ₱54.2

76.47%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.93 ₱123

8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.86 ₱310

292.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.99 ₱255

-17.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.56 ₱481

44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.13 ₱136

37.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.73 ₱110

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.54 ₱162

-11.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.15 ₱73.3

80.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.21 ₱141

-31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.08 ₱133

-33.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.92 ₱58.7

16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.61 ₱38.59

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.84 ₱181

47.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.35 ₱468

155.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.92 ₱58.8

97.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.83 ₱117

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.18 ₱11.78

705.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.86 ₱819

340.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.80 ₱51.3

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.21 ₱13.38

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.85 ₱118

99.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.03 ₱65.9

42.72%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

39.97%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$20.0K ₱1.3M

33.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$135 ₱8,582

-28.47%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.33 ₱913

-21.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$16.57 ₱1,056

1.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$30.08 ₱1,917

123.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.28 ₱337

103.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.23 ₱333

43.40%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$127 ₱8,082

275.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,688 ₱489.9K

46.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$29.05 ₱1,851

114.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$20.80 ₱1,325

36.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$63.5 ₱4,047

48.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$46.93 ₱2,991

82.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$124 ₱7,900

477.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$77.0 ₱4,908

537.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$323 ₱20.6K

496.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$186 ₱11.9K

668.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,434 ₱155.1K

71.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,143 ₱72.8K

166.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Subic Bay Freeport Zone: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$77 12% 84.3% $414

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$177 27.6% 33.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$166 25.8% 33% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$72 11.3% 40.8% $50

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$94 14.6% 22.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$41 6.3% 50.7% $42

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$15 2.4% 78.1% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $124 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $14 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $177 per month, with Subic Bay Freeport Zone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

221,178

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Subic Bay Freeport Zone 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Subic Bay Freeport Zone

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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Subic Bay Freeport Zone is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $962 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 $124 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $127 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $641 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Subic Bay Freeport Zone but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Subic Bay Freeport Zone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.