Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tarlac City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarlac City: $523 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Tarlac City
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Tarlac City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $523 in Tarlac City.

Phuket $1,278
Tarlac City $523

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $801 in Tarlac City.

Phuket $2,216
Tarlac City $801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,080 in Tarlac City.

Phuket $3,154
Tarlac City $1,080

Living in Phuket is roughly 145% more expensive than in Tarlac City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tarlac City 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.99 ₱127

124.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$7.94 ₱506

308.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.67 ₱170

229.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.82 ₱116

55.49%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.48 ₱30.72

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.30 ₱19.15

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.95 ₱60.6

169.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.58 ₱100

132.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.65 ₱105

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.13 ₱72.0

29.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.01 ₱64.1

48.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.92 ₱123

8.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.95 ₱315

285.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.68 ₱171

23.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.35 ₱405

71.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.57 ₱100

86.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.51 ₱96.4

11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.01 ₱128

11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.02 ₱64.9

103.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.71 ₱109

-11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.19 ₱75.5

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.66 ₱41.80

62.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.52 ₱33.32

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.97 ₱189

41.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$3.72 ₱237

405.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.89 ₱56.9

104.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.52 ₱97.1

86.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.24 ₱15.31

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$8.05 ₱513

603.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.75 ₱47.49

302.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.22 ₱13.93

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.30 ₱82.7

183.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.11 ₱71.0

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.2K ₱1.4M

26.12%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

40.44%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$87.4 ₱5,565

10.27%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.34 ₱340

110.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.23 ₱1,480

-27.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.36 ₱2,507

70.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.91 ₱1,014

-32.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.11 ₱326

46.77%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$130 ₱8,272

266.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.5K ₱669.1K

7.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$28.72 ₱1,829

117.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$18.79 ₱1,197

51.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$62.0 ₱3,947

52.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$47.50 ₱3,025

80.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$87.2 ₱5,555

720.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$70.5 ₱4,492

595.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$248 ₱15.8K

677.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$163 ₱10.4K

777.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$370 ₱23.5K

1029.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$284 ₱18.1K

972.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$208 ₱13.3K

141.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tarlac City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tarlac City

$71 13.5% 85.6% $420

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tarlac City

$148 28.4% 44.3% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tarlac City

$116 22.2% 6.8% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tarlac City

$71 13.5% 42% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tarlac City

$57 10.9% 53.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tarlac City

$50 9.5% 39.7% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tarlac City

$11 2.1% 84.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $87 in Tarlac City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times 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 in Phuket vs $8 in Tarlac City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $148 per month, with Tarlac City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Tarlac City

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

385,398

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tarlac City 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Tarlac City is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $87 in Tarlac City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $130 in Tarlac City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $523 in Tarlac City versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Tarlac City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tarlac City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Tarlac City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tarlac City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.