Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Princesa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $702 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
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Puerto Princesa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$702

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Princesa and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Princesa and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $702 in Puerto Princesa versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Puerto Princesa $702
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,049 in Puerto Princesa versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Puerto Princesa $1,049
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,395 in Puerto Princesa versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Puerto Princesa $1,395
Phuket $3,154

Living in Puerto Princesa costs roughly 45% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto Princesa 48% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.34 ₱276

$4.47 ฿151

-2.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.69 ₱1,060

$32.41 ฿1,093

-48.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.39 ₱279

$8.81 ฿297

-50.17%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ₱143

$2.83 ฿95.4

-20.49%

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

$0.82 ₱52.3

$0.87 ฿29.40

-5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.85

$0.49 ฿16.65

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱77.2

$2.56 ฿86.3

-52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱149

$3.68 ฿124

-36.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱107

$1.66 ฿55.9

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₱59.6

$1.46 ฿49.29

-35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 ₱48.51

$1.50 ฿50.5

-49.33%

Eggs

$1.67 ₱106

$2.09 ฿70.5

-20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 ₱351

$19.07 ฿643

-71.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 ₱362

$3.30 ฿111

72.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ₱420

$10.91 ฿368

-39.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 ₱150

$2.93 ฿98.8

-19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 ₱57.6

$1.69 ฿57.0

-46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱154

$2.25 ฿75.7

7.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₱70.9

$2.08 ฿70.0

-46.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ₱93.5

$1.51 ฿51.0

-2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ₱85.0

$1.38 ฿46.51

-2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.07 ฿35.95

-15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.48

$0.52 ฿17.50

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱185

$4.20 ฿142

-30.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 ₱463

$18.79 ฿634

-61.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₱67.0

$1.82 ฿61.4

-42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₱85.6

$2.84 ฿95.8

-52.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.58

$1.45 ฿48.97

-82.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.24 ₱714

$56.7 ฿1,911

-80.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.81

$3.02 ฿102

-74.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.62

$1.02 ฿34.32

-77.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱123

$3.69 ฿124

-47.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.7

$1.47 ฿49.75

-28.57%

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

$16.7K ₱1.1M

$26.8K ฿903.2K

-37.63%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-28.90%

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

$61.2 ₱3,886

$96.4 ฿3,250

-36.49%

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

$10.89 ₱691

$11.26 ฿380

-3.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 ₱1,562

$16.85 ฿568

45.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.78 ₱2,018

$67.2 ฿2,268

-52.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.54 ₱288

$10.73 ฿362

-57.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.20 ₱330

$7.50 ฿253

-30.67%

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

$130 ₱8,262

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,036 ₱510.3K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

-28.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.61 ₱2,071

$62.4 ฿2,103

-47.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.40 ₱1,232

$28.41 ฿958

-31.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ₱4,576

$94.3 ฿3,180

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 ₱3,588

$85.8 ฿2,894

-34.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ₱17.9K

$716 ฿24.1K

-60.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 ₱12.8K

$491 ฿16.6K

-58.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ₱33.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-72.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 ₱20.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-77.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,416 ₱153.4K

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-42.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 ₱71.6K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-62.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$220 ₱14.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

-56.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.12

5.57

45.78%

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

Last update for Puerto Princesa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Princesa

$202 28.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 143% $289

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Princesa

$175 24.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 52.4% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Princesa

$97 13.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 28.8% $28

Eating Out

Puerto Princesa

$91 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 33.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Princesa

$81 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 50% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Princesa

$42 6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 95% $40

Getting Around

Puerto Princesa

$14 2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 396% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $283 in Puerto Princesa and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $17 in Puerto Princesa vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $266 per month, with Puerto Princesa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

1 h behind Puerto Princesa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,079

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.18 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Princesa Phuket 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Princesa
Phuket

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

Puerto Princesa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Princesa is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Puerto Princesa. 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: $283 in Puerto Princesa versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $702 in Puerto Princesa versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Puerto Princesa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Princesa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Puerto Princesa 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, Puerto Princesa and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Puerto Princesa 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.