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 $823 in Tacloban.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,190 in Tacloban.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,557 in Tacloban.

Living in Phuket is roughly 50% more expensive than Tacloban, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Tacloban 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$4.56 ₱281

1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$17.79 ₱1,097

163.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$2.71 ₱167

226.20%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.54 ₱157

18.11%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.72 ₱44.28

2.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.38 ₱23.73

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.56 ₱96.5

56.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.11 ₱130

71.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$2.30 ₱142

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.57 ₱97.0

17.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.99 ₱60.9

126.26%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.36 ₱146

-1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$12.66 ₱781

55.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$4.77 ₱294

-23.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$7.95 ₱490

64.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$3.48 ₱215

-2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.27 ₱78.4

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$3.42 ₱211

-29.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.72 ₱106

18.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$2.67 ₱165

-41.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$2.49 ₱154

-39.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.91 ₱56.3

12.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.77 ₱47.72

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.07 ₱128

114.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$6.53 ₱403

189.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.21 ₱74.6

47.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.26 ₱140

21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.21 ₱13.23

566.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.82 ₱50.5

280.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.17 ₱10.57

488.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$2.58 ₱159

446.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.09 ₱67.4

23.85%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$30.4K ₱1.9M

-10.49%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$26.8K ₱1.7M

23.04%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$98.7 ₱6,087

26.64%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$34.34 ₱2,118

-60.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$29.77 ₱1,836

-37.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$34.67 ₱2,138

77.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$4.40 ₱271

282.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$5.80 ₱358

58.45%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$234 ₱14.4K

198.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$3,947 ₱243.5K

295.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$46.32 ₱2,857

24.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$23.20 ₱1,431

51.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$76.1 ₱4,695

48.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$56.2 ₱3,469

53.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$247 ₱15.2K

149.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$211 ₱13.0K

111.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$787 ₱48.5K

160.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$239 ₱14.7K

524.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$2,354 ₱145.2K

60.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$2,022 ₱124.7K

30.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$358 ₱22.1K

46.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-33.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Tacloban: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $247 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 46% 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: $47.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Tacloban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $235 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 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 46% more on average, 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: $616 in Phuket versus $247 in Tacloban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $234 in Tacloban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tacloban – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $823 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 50% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.