Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quezon City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $860 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$860

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $860 in Quezon City versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Quezon City $860
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,372 in Quezon City versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Quezon City $1,372
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,885 in Quezon City versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Quezon City $1,885
Phuket $2,867

Living in Quezon City costs roughly 29% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quezon City 36% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ₱282

$4.58 ฿153

-2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.90 ₱1,190

$32.48 ฿1,086

-41.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$8.55 ฿286

-66.78%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ₱175

$2.72 ฿91.0

2.57%

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

$0.75 ₱47.41

$0.94 ฿31.25

-20.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.78

$0.49 ฿16.39

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₱91.6

$2.59 ฿86.6

-44.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₱178

$3.83 ฿128

-26.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.74 ฿58.1

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$1.43 ฿47.82

-20.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱53.0

$1.53 ฿51.0

-45.10%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$2.17 ฿72.7

-19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 ₱421

$19.15 ฿640

-65.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ₱267

$3.30 ฿110

28.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 ₱455

$11.14 ฿372

-35.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 ₱250

$2.95 ฿98.5

34.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.7

$1.68 ฿56.1

-19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$2.30 ฿76.8

50.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$2.13 ฿71.3

-46.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$1.53 ฿51.1

53.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 ₱209

$1.36 ฿45.55

144.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₱89.7

$1.12 ฿37.44

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$0.55 ฿18.24

76.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱178

$4.26 ฿142

-33.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ₱487

$18.19 ฿608

-57.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.8

$1.74 ฿58.2

-23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.79 ฿93.3

-35.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₱22.92

$2.22 ฿74.1

-83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.25 ₱1,212

$22.06 ฿737

-12.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.63

$2.91 ฿97.3

-73.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.22

$1.01 ฿33.79

-79.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ₱162

$3.83 ฿128

-32.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱74.6

$1.49 ฿49.85

-20.81%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-19.60%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-28.47%

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

$163 ₱10.2K

$99.4 ฿3,321

63.72%

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

$14.34 ₱903

$11.28 ฿377

27.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.17 ₱1,522

$17.36 ฿580

39.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.36 ₱2,415

$52.3 ฿1,747

-26.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.30 ₱207

$10.85 ฿362

-69.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.01 ₱441

$7.57 ฿253

-7.40%

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

$71.8 ₱4,522

$558 ฿18.7K

-87.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,491 ₱156.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-78.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 ₱2,245

$62.9 ฿2,102

-43.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.77 ₱1,433

$28.58 ฿955

-20.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₱4,898

$96.1 ฿3,213

-19.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₱4,850

$88.1 ฿2,943

-12.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$729 ฿24.4K

-57.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ₱11.8K

$460 ฿15.4K

-59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₱47.0K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-64.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ₱33.8K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-56.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 ₱149.2K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-31.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,425 ₱89.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-42.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 ₱27.0K

$493 ฿16.5K

-12.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.67%

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

Last update for Quezon City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Quezon City

$206 24%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 30% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quezon City

$201 23.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 36.4% $73

Accommodation & Living

Quezon City

$187 21.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 146% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Quezon City

$96 11.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 29.3% $28

Eating Out

Quezon City

$95 11%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 28% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Quezon City

$52 6.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 28.7% $15

Getting Around

Quezon City

$23 2.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 72.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $312 in Quezon City and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 15% 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: $19.00 in Quezon City vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $268 per month, with Quezon City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h behind Quezon City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,936,116

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quezon City Phuket 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Quezon City
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

Quezon City vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quezon City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $312 in Quezon City versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $71.8 in Quezon City versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $860 in Quezon City versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quezon City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Quezon City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Quezon 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, Quezon City and Phuket 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 Quezon City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.