Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Valenzuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Valenzuela: $552 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Valenzuela
Learn more

Valenzuela Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Valenzuela

🇵🇭 Philippines

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Valenzuela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $552 in Valenzuela.

Phuket $1,278
Valenzuela $552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,208 in Valenzuela.

Phuket $2,216
Valenzuela $1,208

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,864 in Valenzuela.

Phuket $3,154
Valenzuela $1,864

Living in Phuket is roughly 131% more expensive than in Valenzuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Valenzuela 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.88 ₱247

15.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.61 ₱1,058

95.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.74 ₱174

221.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.00 ₱128

41.50%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.56 ₱35.46

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.31 ₱19.44

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.24 ₱79.0

106.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.54 ₱98.2

138.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.65 ₱105

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.09 ₱69.2

33.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.99 ₱63.3

51.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.05 ₱131

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.97 ₱316

283.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.28 ₱209

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.78 ₱432

60.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.20 ₱140

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.58 ₱101

6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.31 ₱147

-2.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.05 ₱67.1

98.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.72 ₱110

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.70 ₱109

-18.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.64 ₱40.99

67.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.48 ₱30.60

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.62 ₱167

60.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.59 ₱484

147.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.94 ₱59.7

93.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.94 ₱124

46.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.23 ₱14.71

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$13.23 ₱843

328.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.64 ₱40.80

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.21 ₱13.37

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.89 ₱121

95.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.19 ₱75.9

23.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

27.49%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

38.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$138 ₱8,776

-30.07%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.92 ₱1,014

-29.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.98 ₱1,973

-45.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$19.07 ₱1,215

252.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.41 ₱408

17.00%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$130 ₱8,270

266.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,357 ₱468.6K

53.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$28.67 ₱1,826

117.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$19.33 ₱1,231

46.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$69.3 ₱4,414

36.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$53.9 ₱3,435

59.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$997 ₱63.5K

93.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$770 ₱49.1K

85.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$578 ₱36.8K

-13.13%

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 Valenzuela: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Valenzuela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Valenzuela

$167 30.2% 37.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Valenzuela

$185 33.4% 48.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Valenzuela

$77 14% 36.8% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Valenzuela

$76 13.8% 37.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Valenzuela

$32 5.8% 61.2% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Valenzuela

$16 2.9% 77.5% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Valenzuela pays 15% 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 $17 in Valenzuela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $167 per month, with Valenzuela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Valenzuela

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

12:46 12:46 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

714,978

💱 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 Valenzuela 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Valenzuela

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 Valenzuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Valenzuela is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% 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.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $552 in Valenzuela versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Valenzuela but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Valenzuela 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 Valenzuela are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.