Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Talisay City

For one person, living is cheaper in Talisay City: $728 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Talisay City
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Talisay City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Talisay City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $728 in Talisay City.

Phuket $1,208
Talisay City $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,105 in Talisay City.

Phuket $2,027
Talisay City $1,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,482 in Talisay City.

Phuket $2,845
Talisay City $1,482

Living in Phuket is roughly 66% more expensive than in Talisay City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Talisay City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$4.02 ₱253

9.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$16.50 ₱1,039

95.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$2.88 ₱181

204.17%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.19 ₱138

29.22%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.66 ₱41.66

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.31 ₱19.28

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.13 ₱71.1

125.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.93 ₱122

98.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.60 ₱101

8.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.15 ₱72.4

27.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.96 ₱60.3

57.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.86 ₱117

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.43 ₱342

262.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.08 ₱257

-18.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.30 ₱460

52.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.37 ₱149

20.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.53 ₱96.3

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.43 ₱153

-9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.13 ₱71.4

81.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.02 ₱127

-28.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.94 ₱122

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.00 ₱62.7

7.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.57 ₱35.94

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.98 ₱188

42.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.42 ₱467

150.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.95 ₱59.7

87.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.87 ₱118

52.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.26 ₱16.47

769.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$11.29 ₱711

95.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.78 ₱49.09

285.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.21 ₱13.19

404.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.88 ₱119

105.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.22 ₱77.1

18.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

24.31%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

41.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$124 ₱7,810

-22.30%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$14.94 ₱940

-26.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$24.50 ₱1,542

-30.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$32.17 ₱2,025

62.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$4.54 ₱286

145.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.05 ₱318

54.65%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$132 ₱8,279

322.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,858 ₱494.7K

47.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$32.49 ₱2,046

97.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$19.38 ₱1,220

48.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$71.2 ₱4,481

33.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$54.7 ₱3,443

60.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$270 ₱17.0K

173.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$170 ₱10.7K

172.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$522 ₱32.9K

301.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$348 ₱21.9K

245.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,427 ₱152.8K

43.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$988 ₱62.2K

155.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$329 ₱20.7K

52.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.79

-17.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Talisay City: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Talisay City

$170 23.3% 63.3% $293

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Talisay City

$178 24.4% 33.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Talisay City

$163 22.5% 31.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Talisay City

$80 11% 35.7% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Talisay City

$80 11.1% 33.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Talisay City

$42 5.8% 37.6% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Talisay City

$14 2% 64.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $270 in Talisay City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 52% 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 Talisay City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $178 per month, with Talisay City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Talisay City

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

133,148

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

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

Talisay City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 52% 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 $270 in Talisay City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $132 in Talisay City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $728 in Talisay City versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Talisay City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Talisay City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Talisay 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 Talisay 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 Talisay City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.