Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tacloban Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tacloban

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $772 in Tacloban.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,163 in Tacloban.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $1,554 in Tacloban.

Living in Phuket is roughly 59% more expensive than in Tacloban, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Tacloban 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$2.94 ₱185

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,077

$15.64 ₱981

106.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿298

$2.33 ₱146

283.26%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.6

$2.35 ₱148

23.40%

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

$0.88 ฿29.38

$0.57 ₱35.75

54.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.35 ₱21.77

37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

$1.58 ₱99.0

48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$2.20 ₱138

69.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.3

$1.88 ₱118

-0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.94

$1.14 ₱71.7

28.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.8

$0.88 ₱55.5

76.14%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.93 ₱121

8.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿654

$10.14 ₱636

93.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$4.27 ₱268

-19.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿380

$6.99 ₱439

62.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$3.35 ₱210

-11.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$1.14 ₱71.4

47.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.7

$2.38 ₱149

-7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.1

$1.55 ₱97.1

39.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.35 ₱147

-35.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.67

$1.95 ₱122

-31.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.67

$1.22 ₱76.8

-7.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.63 ₱39.56

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.92 ₱121

121.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

$6.35 ₱398

200.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$1.12 ₱70.4

58.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.64 ₱103

69.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.4

$0.25 ₱15.54

792.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

$12.71 ₱797

78.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$0.79 ₱49.71

283.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.15

$0.22 ₱13.81

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$1.93 ₱121

101.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.77

$0.99 ₱62.1

50.51%

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

$26.6K ฿887.3K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

23.09%

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

$27.0K ฿902.2K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

42.87%

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

$102 ฿3,420

$121 ₱7,581

-15.22%

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

$11.33 ฿378

$14.64 ₱918

-22.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿581

$27.79 ₱1,743

-37.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,738

$32.11 ₱2,014

62.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿370

$4.66 ₱293

137.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$5.45 ₱342

41.10%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$134 ₱8,376

319.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.1K

$8,051 ₱504.9K

42.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,104

$31.60 ₱1,982

99.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿986

$19.73 ₱1,238

49.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,272

$77.0 ₱4,830

27.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,954

$55.9 ₱3,509

58.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$271 ₱17.0K

172.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$189 ₱11.9K

154.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.3K

$495 ₱31.0K

325.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.9K

$352 ₱22.1K

248.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.7K

$2,631 ₱165.0K

37.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.9K

$1,047 ₱65.7K

148.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$350 ₱22.0K

40.84%

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: September 15, 2026

Last update for Tacloban: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $271 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 41% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $16.00 in Tacloban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $200 per month, with Tacloban cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 41% 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: $738 in Phuket versus $271 in Tacloban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $134 in Tacloban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $772 in Tacloban versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tacloban but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tacloban the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tacloban is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tacloban are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tacloban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.