Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Surigao

For one person, living is cheaper in Surigao: $733 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Surigao
Learn more

Surigao Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Surigao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Surigao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $733 in Surigao.

Phuket $1,294
Surigao $733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,113 in Surigao.

Phuket $2,204
Surigao $1,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,492 in Surigao.

Phuket $3,115
Surigao $1,492

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Surigao 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.95 ₱251

11.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$16.72 ₱1,062

93.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$2.82 ₱179

208.51%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.13 ₱135

27.70%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.67 ₱42.83

38.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.31 ₱19.60

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.16 ₱73.5

118.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.01 ₱128

80.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.60 ₱102

8.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.14 ₱72.4

27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.97 ₱61.3

54.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.85 ₱118

17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$5.62 ₱357

239.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.15 ₱264

-18.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$6.87 ₱436

58.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.42 ₱154

21.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.58 ₱100

6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.32 ₱147

-5.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.13 ₱71.7

87.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$2.12 ₱135

-31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$2.26 ₱143

-39.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$1.09 ₱69.4

-0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.57 ₱36.48

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.95 ₱187

50.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.34 ₱466

148.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$0.91 ₱57.6

94.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.92 ₱122

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.22 ₱13.94

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$12.28 ₱780

346.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.76 ₱48.05

98.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.22 ₱13.99

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.90 ₱120

102.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.22 ₱77.6

22.13%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

26.34%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

36.81%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$120 ₱7,606

-18.36%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$15.80 ₱1,003

-28.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$34.90 ₱2,216

-50.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$31.82 ₱2,020

114.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$5.07 ₱322

115.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.06 ₱321

46.84%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$128 ₱8,117

314.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$7,715 ₱489.8K

143.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$32.90 ₱2,089

87.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$19.32 ₱1,227

46.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$71.4 ₱4,535

34.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$53.7 ₱3,409

61.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$250 ₱15.9K

188.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$168 ₱10.7K

203.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$485 ₱30.8K

301.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$348 ₱22.1K

301.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,651 ₱168.3K

58.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,124 ₱71.3K

193.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Surigao: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Surigao

$168 22.9% 67% $341

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Surigao

$179 24.4% 33.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Surigao

$171 23.3% 35% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Surigao

$80 10.9% 35% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Surigao

$79 10.8% 33.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Surigao

$42 5.7% 49.6% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Surigao

$15 2.1% 77.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $250 in Surigao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $17 in Surigao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $179 per month, with Surigao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Surigao

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

171,107

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.49 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Surigao 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Surigao

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 Surigao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surigao is about 43% 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 $1,940 in Phuket and $1,100 in Surigao 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 $250 in Surigao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $128 in Surigao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $733 in Surigao versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Surigao but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Surigao 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 Surigao are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Surigao 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.