Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamboanga: $714 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
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Zamboanga Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zamboanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $714 in Zamboanga.

Phuket $1,294
Zamboanga $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,224 in Phuket versus $1,096 in Zamboanga.

Phuket $2,224
Zamboanga $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,478 in Zamboanga.

Phuket $3,154
Zamboanga $1,478

Living in Phuket is roughly 81% more expensive than in Zamboanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Zamboanga 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.31 ₱82.7

235.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

$16.52 ₱1,047

95.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$3.32 ₱210

162.05%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

$2.05 ₱130

32.68%

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

$0.91 ₱57.5

2.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

$0.39 ₱24.93

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$1.45 ₱91.7

74.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.95 ₱123

86.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.80 ₱114

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$1.38 ₱87.4

5.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.10 ₱69.9

36.36%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$1.44 ₱91.1

50.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

$4.69 ₱298

307.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.88 ₱246

-12.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$3.13 ₱198

248.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$3.00 ₱190

-2.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.20 ₱75.9

40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$3.78 ₱240

-42.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.15 ₱73.1

84.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$1.18 ₱74.8

23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$2.40 ₱152

-42.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

$0.85 ₱53.8

27.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$0.49 ₱31.25

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.69 ₱170

64.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$4.22 ₱268

332.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$1.30 ₱82.4

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$1.99 ₱126

44.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

$0.17 ₱11.04

752.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

$12.49 ₱791

339.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.74 ₱47.15

104.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

$0.22 ₱13.92

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.90 ₱121

102.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$0.97 ₱61.5

53.61%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$20.9K ₱1.3M

28.77%

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

$18.6K ₱1.2M

41.72%

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

$118 ₱7,496

-17.30%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$15.47 ₱981

-27.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

$47.75 ₱3,027

-64.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

$35.86 ₱2,273

90.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$5.11 ₱324

113.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.02 ₱318

48.01%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$131 ₱8,285

305.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

$7,774 ₱492.7K

141.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

$32.15 ₱2,037

91.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

$19.42 ₱1,231

45.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

$71.8 ₱4,548

33.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

$54.0 ₱3,422

60.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$250 ₱15.8K

188.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$166 ₱10.5K

206.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

$329 ₱20.8K

493.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$353 ₱22.4K

296.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

$2,668 ₱169.1K

57.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

$1,111 ₱70.4K

196.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$191 ₱12.1K

157.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.92

-19.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Zamboanga

$166 23.3% 67.4% $343

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Zamboanga

$165 23% 38.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Zamboanga

$181 25.4% 43.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Zamboanga

$80 11.2% 35% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Zamboanga

$61 8.6% 48.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Zamboanga

$46 6.4% 44.8% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Zamboanga

$15 2.1% 77.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $254 in Zamboanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Zamboanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $182 per month, with Zamboanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Zamboanga 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zamboanga is about 45% 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 2.7 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 $254 in Zamboanga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $129 in Zamboanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Zamboanga versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zamboanga but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zamboanga 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.

Expats usually find Zamboanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.