Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $620 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tagbilaran City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $620 in Tagbilaran City.

Phuket $1,208
Tagbilaran City $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,005 in Tagbilaran City.

Phuket $2,027
Tagbilaran City $1,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,390 in Tagbilaran City.

Phuket $2,845
Tagbilaran City $1,390

Living in Phuket is roughly 95% more expensive than in Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tagbilaran City 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.93 ₱185

50.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$17.16 ₱1,081

88.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$2.91 ₱183

201.03%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.48 ₱156

14.11%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.99 ₱62.6

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.42 ₱26.32

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.77 ₱48.77

231.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.25 ₱142

70.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.49 ₱94.0

16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.01 ₱63.8

45.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.98 ₱61.9

54.08%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.72 ₱108

26.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.68 ₱610

103.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.56 ₱287

-26.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.70 ₱485

44.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.90 ₱183

-1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.31 ₱82.3

29.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.36 ₱149

-7.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.52 ₱95.8

34.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.32 ₱146

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.90 ₱120

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.70 ₱43.81

52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.50 ₱31.38

2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.37 ₱149

79.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.33 ₱399

193.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.92 ₱58.1

93.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.04 ₱65.7

174.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.47 ₱29.42

380.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.79 ₱49.99

281.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.22 ₱13.87

381.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$4.38 ₱276

-11.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.03 ₱65.1

40.78%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

22.45%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.2K ₱1.2M

40.69%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$78.0 ₱4,911

23.56%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$14.28 ₱899

-22.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$25.32 ₱1,594

-32.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$10.92 ₱687

377.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$3.22 ₱203

246.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$3.60 ₱227

116.94%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$280 ₱17.6K

98.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,908 ₱497.9K

46.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$36.94 ₱2,326

73.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$17.89 ₱1,126

60.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$65.0 ₱4,094

46.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$58.2 ₱3,665

51.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$190 ₱12.0K

287.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$135 ₱8,524

241.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$482 ₱30.3K

334.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$350 ₱22.0K

242.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$805 ₱50.7K

333.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$476 ₱30.0K

429.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$171 ₱10.8K

192.32%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.8% 70.7% $327

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Tagbilaran City

$189 30.5% 29.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Tagbilaran City

$118 19% 5.6% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tagbilaran City

$80 12.9% 35.5% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.3% 37.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9% 73.3% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6% 90.5% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $190 in Tagbilaran City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 192% 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 $17.00 in Tagbilaran City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $189 per month, with Tagbilaran City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

86,411

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tagbilaran City 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tagbilaran City

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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tagbilaran City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 192% 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: $737 in Phuket versus $190 in Tagbilaran City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $280 in Tagbilaran City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tagbilaran City – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $620 in Tagbilaran City versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tagbilaran City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tagbilaran City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tagbilaran City 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 Tagbilaran City 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 Tagbilaran City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.