Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Pagadian

For one person, living is cheaper in Pagadian: $731 a month against $886 in Samut Prakan, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pagadian
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Pagadian Living Index

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Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Pagadian

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samut Prakan and in Pagadian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $886 in Samut Prakan versus $731 in Pagadian.

Samut Prakan $886
Pagadian $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Samut Prakan versus $1,112 in Pagadian.

Samut Prakan $1,378
Pagadian $1,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,869 in Samut Prakan versus $1,494 in Pagadian.

Samut Prakan $1,869
Pagadian $1,494

Living in Samut Prakan is roughly 21% more expensive than in Pagadian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Prakan 35% lower, Pagadian 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 ฿110

$3.97 ₱250

-16.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.12 ฿505

$16.95 ₱1,067

-10.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿250

$2.75 ₱173

172.00%

Cappuccino

$1.38 ฿46.13

$1.91 ₱120

-27.75%

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

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.80 ₱50.6

-35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.77

$0.25 ₱15.76

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.46 ₱92.2

38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿97.4

$1.99 ₱125

46.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿48.92

$1.69 ₱106

-13.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ฿32.62

$1.16 ₱73.1

-15.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ฿29.34

$0.96 ₱60.8

-8.33%

Eggs

$1.84 ฿61.5

$1.87 ₱118

-1.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿411

$5.47 ₱344

125.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.1

$4.27 ₱269

-41.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$7.29 ₱459

39.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ฿61.5

$2.35 ₱148

-21.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.67

$1.53 ₱96.4

-49.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.68

$2.41 ₱151

-45.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.59

$1.13 ₱71.3

7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.01 ₱127

-24.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.78

$1.93 ₱121

-60.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ฿25.99

$0.92 ₱58.1

-15.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.55 ₱34.43

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿151

$2.87 ₱181

56.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 ฿304

$7.48 ₱471

21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

$1.01 ₱63.8

1.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.2

$1.94 ₱122

-2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ฿16.95

$0.26 ₱16.37

96.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.25 ₱708

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.78 ₱48.85

123.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ฿53.7

$0.21 ₱13.17

666.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 ฿196

$1.88 ₱118

211.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ฿35.84

$1.03 ₱64.9

3.88%

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

$12.1K ฿405.1K

$21.3K ₱1.3M

-43.05%

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

$24.3K ฿811.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

27.98%

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

$83.1 ฿2,776

$125 ₱7,875

-33.59%

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

$9.40 ฿314

$15.14 ₱953

-37.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.35 ฿547

$24.15 ₱1,521

-32.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.72 ฿1,595

$32.36 ₱2,037

47.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 ฿503

$4.70 ₱296

220.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ฿214

$5.07 ₱319

26.43%

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

$148 ฿4,933

$130 ₱8,191

13.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,950 ฿198.9K

$7,984 ₱502.7K

-25.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.09 ฿504

$32.64 ₱2,055

-53.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ฿1,192

$19.82 ₱1,248

79.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$72.4 ₱4,556

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ฿4,004

$55.1 ₱3,470

117.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ฿16.0K

$266 ₱16.7K

79.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ฿11.0K

$171 ₱10.7K

93.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ฿38.3K

$516 ₱32.5K

122.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 ฿23.1K

$354 ₱22.3K

94.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,726 ฿57.7K

$2,381 ₱149.9K

-27.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ฿53.7K

$997 ₱62.8K

61.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$671 ฿22.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-55.82%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pagadian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2%

Pagadian

$171 23.3% 48.3% $159

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5%

Pagadian

$180 24.6% 1.3% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Pagadian

$164 22.5% 51% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Pagadian

$81 11.1% 25.5% $28

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5%

Pagadian

$78 10.7% 7.1% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8%

Pagadian

$43 5.8% 29.8% $18

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Pagadian

$14 1.9% 19.6% $2.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Samut Prakan and $266 in Pagadian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15.00 in Samut Prakan vs $17.00 in Pagadian. Groceries flip the comparison at $182 vs $180, with Pagadian cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇵🇭 Pagadian

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h ahead of Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

199,060

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samut Prakan Pagadian 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Samut Prakan
Pagadian

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

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

Samut Prakan and Pagadian differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($886 vs $731 including rent). Pagadian is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,329 in Samut Prakan and $1,096 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: $478 in Samut Prakan versus $266 in Pagadian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Samut Prakan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $886 per month in Samut Prakan versus $731 in Pagadian – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Pagadian gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 21% less than in Samut Prakan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.