Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taguig City

For one person, living is cheaper in Taguig City: $1,120 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Taguig City
Learn more

Taguig City Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Taguig City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taguig 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 Taguig City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,120 in Taguig City.

Phuket $1,294
Taguig City $1,120

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,039 in Taguig City.

Phuket $2,204
Taguig City $2,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,957 in Taguig City.

Phuket $3,115
Taguig City $2,957

Living in Phuket is roughly 15% more expensive than in Taguig City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Taguig City 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.22 ₱203

36.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$26.46 ₱1,666

22.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$3.51 ₱221

147.86%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$1.79 ₱113

51.96%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$0.93 ₱58.6

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.38 ₱24.07

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$1.16 ₱73.0

118.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.16 ₱136

68.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.89 ₱119

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.35 ₱85.1

7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.85 ₱53.6

76.47%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.05 ₱129

5.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$4.66 ₱294

309.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.22 ₱203

5.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$6.86 ₱432

58.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.57 ₱162

14.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.84 ₱116

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$2.78 ₱175

-21.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$0.87 ₱54.5

143.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.41 ₱88.6

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.31 ₱82.3

4.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$0.62 ₱38.97

74.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.33 ₱20.75

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$2.67 ₱168

65.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$6.93 ₱436

163.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$0.77 ₱48.78

129.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$1.98 ₱125

45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.21 ₱13.20

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$13.21 ₱832

315.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.01 ₱63.9

49.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$0.22 ₱13.85

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$1.88 ₱118

104.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.30 ₱82.2

14.62%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

27.45%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$18.9K ₱1.2M

39.46%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$111 ₱7,008

-12.12%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$15.43 ₱971

-26.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$24.44 ₱1,539

-29.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$31.70 ₱1,996

115.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$6.22 ₱391

19.45%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$619 ₱39.0K

-14.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$13.7K ₱862.4K

37.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$48.46 ₱3,051

27.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$28.31 ₱1,783

-0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$72.2 ₱4,547

32.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$59.7 ₱3,759

45.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$874 ₱55.0K

-17.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$573 ₱36.1K

-11.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$3,211 ₱202.2K

-39.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$1,786 ₱112.5K

-21.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$5,522 ₱347.7K

-24.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$3,869 ₱243.6K

-14.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$550 ₱34.6K

-10.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Taguig City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Taguig City

$573 51.1% 12.6% $64

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Taguig City

$169 15.1% 36.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Taguig City

$151 13.5% 19.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Taguig City

$94 8.4% 23.5% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Taguig City

$73 6.5% 38.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Taguig City

$44 3.9% 46.9% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Taguig City

$16 1.4% 75.5% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $874 in Taguig City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taguig City pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $26 in Taguig City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $169 per month, with Taguig City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Taguig City

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

20:54 8:54 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

47,397

💱 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Taguig City 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Taguig 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 Taguig City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taguig City is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $874 in Taguig City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $619 in Taguig City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Taguig City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Taguig City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.