Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taguig City Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taguig City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Phuket versus $961 in Taguig City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,237 in Phuket versus $1,586 in Taguig City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,251 in Phuket versus $2,211 in Taguig City.

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than Taguig City, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Taguig City 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 ฿147

$4.38 ₱264

2.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.62 ฿1,515

$26.58 ₱1,601

75.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.49 ฿276

$3.49 ₱210

143.27%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ฿100

$2.60 ₱157

18.46%

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

$0.68 ฿22.07

$0.87 ₱52.2

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.75

$0.48 ₱29.13

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿78.8

$1.50 ₱90.4

62.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿118

$2.64 ₱159

37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ฿71.1

$1.97 ₱119

11.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿59.0

$1.40 ₱84.4

29.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ฿72.5

$1.04 ₱62.6

114.42%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿72.7

$2.10 ₱127

6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿637

$9.25 ₱557

111.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 ฿121

$5.15 ₱310

-27.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 ฿438

$8.52 ₱513

58.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ฿109

$2.76 ₱166

21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿52.5

$1.78 ₱107

-8.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.3

$3.06 ₱185

-21.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿64.6

$1.20 ₱72.3

65.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.76

$1.89 ₱114

-19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 ฿47.19

$3.07 ₱185

-52.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿32.96

$1.72 ₱104

-41.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.73

$0.77 ₱46.33

-37.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿139

$3.21 ₱193

33.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 ฿621

$8.97 ₱540

113.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿59.7

$1.34 ₱81.0

37.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ฿89.1

$2.25 ₱136

21.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿46.06

$0.24 ₱14.53

491.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.72 ฿381

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ฿97.6

$0.91 ₱55.0

229.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 ฿34.00

$0.22 ₱13.23

377.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 ฿452

$2.11 ₱127

558.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿41.94

$1.12 ₱67.2

15.18%

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

$28.0K ฿911.1K

$26.3K ₱1.6M

6.73%

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

$33.5K ฿1.1M

$20.4K ₱1.2M

64.54%

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

$122 ฿3,964

$127 ₱7,643

-3.88%

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

$13.93 ฿453

$32.15 ₱1,937

-56.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.87 ฿613

$26.91 ₱1,621

-29.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 ฿1,992

$43.26 ₱2,605

41.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿547

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ฿289

$6.88 ₱414

29.22%

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

$691 ฿22.5K

$152 ₱9,173

353.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ฿525.2K

$11.6K ₱698.8K

39.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,878

$45.74 ₱2,755

26.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.39 ฿1,150

$34.20 ₱2,060

3.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,685

$70.0 ₱4,213

62.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 ฿2,698

$47.29 ₱2,848

75.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 ฿19.7K

$578 ₱34.8K

4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ฿14.6K

$325 ₱19.6K

37.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 ฿66.0K

$1,964 ₱118.3K

3.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 ฿48.5K

$800 ₱48.2K

86.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ฿116.5K

$4,054 ₱244.1K

-11.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,585 ฿84.0K

$1,369 ₱82.4K

88.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ฿16.4K

$487 ₱29.3K

3.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.17

-13.61%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 13, 2026

Last update for Taguig City: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $607 in Phuket and $578 in Taguig City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 4% 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 $27.00 in Taguig City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $225 per month, with Taguig City 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 Taguig City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taguig City is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 4% 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: $607 in Phuket versus $578 in Taguig City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Phuket versus $152 in Taguig City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taguig City – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in Taguig City versus $1,223 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taguig City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Taguig City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taguig 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 Taguig 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 Taguig City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.