Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tacloban

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $771 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tacloban

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $771 in Tacloban.

Phuket $1,278
Tacloban $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,152 in Tacloban.

Phuket $2,216
Tacloban $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,532 in Tacloban.

Phuket $3,154
Tacloban $1,532

Living in Phuket is roughly 66% more expensive than in Tacloban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tacloban 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.00 ₱255

11.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$15.55 ₱991

108.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.33 ₱148

278.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.31 ₱147

22.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.68 ₱43.45

27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.36 ₱23.15

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.59 ₱101

61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.17 ₱138

69.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.91 ₱122

-13.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.11 ₱70.4

31.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.80 ₱51.1

87.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.89 ₱121

10.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.05 ₱640

89.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.11 ₱262

-19.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.18 ₱457

51.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.18 ₱203

-7.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.08 ₱68.6

56.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.28 ₱145

-1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.46 ₱93.0

42.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.30 ₱146

-34.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.85 ₱118

-25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.09 ₱69.5

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.60 ₱38.15

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.86 ₱119

125.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.30 ₱401

198.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.07 ₱68.2

70.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.72 ₱109

65.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.20 ₱12.79

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.30 ₱784

360.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.78 ₱49.75

287.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.22 ₱14.03

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.86 ₱119

98.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.04 ₱66.0

41.35%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

26.02%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$18.8K ₱1.2M

41.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$117 ₱7,465

-17.76%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.64 ₱997

-28.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.34 ₱1,806

-40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$31.68 ₱2,018

112.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.30 ₱338

102.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.36 ₱341

39.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$131 ₱8,335

263.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,929 ₱505.2K

42.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$32.33 ₱2,060

92.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$19.29 ₱1,229

47.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$76.5 ₱4,876

23.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$56.0 ₱3,567

53.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$254 ₱16.2K

181.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$191 ₱12.2K

156.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$498 ₱31.7K

286.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$348 ₱22.1K

311.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,586 ₱164.8K

61.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,114 ₱71.0K

173.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$340 ₱21.7K

47.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tacloban: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tacloban

$191 24.8% 61% $299

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tacloban

$195 25.3% 26.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tacloban

$161 20.9% 29.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tacloban

$83 10.7% 32% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tacloban

$83 10.8% 31.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tacloban

$42 5.5% 48.4% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tacloban

$15 1.9% 78.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $254 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 48% 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 Tacloban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $195 per month, with Tacloban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

242,089

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tacloban 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tacloban

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 Tacloban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tacloban is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $254 in Tacloban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $131 in Tacloban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Tacloban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.