Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Pagadian Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Pagadian

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $812 in Samut Prakan versus $760 in Pagadian.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Samut Prakan versus $1,074 in Pagadian.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,030 in Samut Prakan versus $1,389 in Pagadian.

Living in Samut Prakan is roughly 7% more expensive than Pagadian, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Prakan 39% lower, Pagadian 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ฿99.6

$3.57 ₱220

-14.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.28 ฿499

$18.01 ₱1,110

-15.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 ฿252

$3.20 ₱197

141.25%

Cappuccino

$1.31 ฿42.87

$2.90 ₱179

-54.83%

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

$0.62 ฿20.36

$0.93 ₱57.1

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.62

$0.43 ₱26.38

-32.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.08 ₱66.3

70.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ฿124

$1.76 ₱108

116.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿46.84

$1.71 ₱106

-16.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ฿33.04

$1.07 ₱66.1

-5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 ฿36.49

$0.97 ₱59.8

15.46%

Eggs

$1.80 ฿58.8

$2.03 ₱125

-11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 ฿439

$8.25 ₱508

62.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.83 ฿92.4

$4.98 ₱307

-43.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 ฿351

$5.85 ₱361

83.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$3.64 ₱224

-49.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ฿24.63

$1.12 ₱69.3

-33.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ฿59.1

$3.42 ₱211

-47.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 ฿44.85

$1.34 ₱82.4

2.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 ฿53.3

$2.65 ₱164

-38.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿35.96

$3.46 ₱213

-68.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ฿25.59

$1.07 ₱66.1

-27.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ฿13.92

$0.70 ₱43.42

-38.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 ฿155

$2.71 ₱167

75.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 ฿395

$7.91 ₱488

52.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 ฿49.38

$1.05 ₱64.6

43.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.54 ₱94.8

43.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ฿16.89

$0.26 ₱16.03

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.10 ฿1,016

$7.18 ₱443

333.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 ฿36.26

$0.82 ₱50.9

35.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 ฿23.16

$0.24 ₱14.87

195.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.26 ฿172

$2.10 ₱129

150.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿42.15

$1.19 ₱73.2

8.40%

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

$12.3K ฿402.5K

$26.9K ₱1.7M

-54.10%

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

$21.1K ฿688.9K

$20.2K ₱1.2M

4.29%

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

$73.2 ฿2,390

$96.0 ₱5,919

-23.74%

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

$10.91 ฿356

$33.16 ₱2,045

-67.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿559

$27.38 ₱1,688

-37.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.92 ฿1,532

$33.61 ₱2,072

39.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 ฿393

$4.53 ₱279

166.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ฿198

$5.95 ₱367

2.02%

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

$383 ฿12.5K

$149 ₱9,190

156.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,856 ฿223.9K

$4,359 ₱268.8K

57.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.33 ฿631

$45.37 ₱2,798

-57.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.17 ฿1,116

$26.79 ₱1,652

27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 ฿2,004

$74.5 ₱4,592

-17.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ฿1,894

$53.1 ₱3,271

9.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$486 ฿15.9K

$113 ₱6,956

331.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 ฿8,005

$177 ₱10.9K

38.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 ฿26.2K

$248 ₱15.3K

223.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 ฿27.2K

$150 ₱9,271

453.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 ฿57.3K

$2,118 ₱130.6K

-17.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,487 ฿48.6K

$966 ₱59.6K

53.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$651 ฿21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

-55.02%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: May 31, 2026

Last update for Pagadian: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $486 in Samut Prakan and $113 in Pagadian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15.00 in Samut Prakan vs $18.00 in Pagadian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $204 per month, with Samut Prakan cheaper across the board.

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

Samut Prakan vs Pagadian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Prakan and Pagadian differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($812 vs $760 including rent). Pagadian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,218 in Samut Prakan and $1,140 in Pagadian to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $486 in Samut Prakan versus $113 in Pagadian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pagadian – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $15.00 in Samut Prakan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $812 per month in Samut Prakan versus $760 in Pagadian – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $760 in Pagadian versus $812 in Samut Prakan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pagadian but tight or insufficient in Samut Prakan. The gap between the two cities makes Pagadian 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, Samut Prakan and Pagadian 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 Pagadian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Samut Prakan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.