Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Subic Bay Freeport Zone: $641 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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Subic Bay Freeport Zone Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇵🇭 Philippines

$641

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 Subic Bay Freeport Zone and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $641
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $978 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $978
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,315 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Subic Bay Freeport Zone $1,315
Phuket $3,154

Living in Subic Bay Freeport Zone costs roughly 50% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Subic Bay Freeport Zone 53% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 ₱293

$4.47 ฿151

2.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.04 ₱895

$32.41 ฿1,093

-56.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ₱327

$8.81 ฿297

-41.77%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ₱141

$2.83 ฿95.4

-21.91%

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

$0.68 ₱43.06

$0.87 ฿29.41

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.33

$0.49 ฿16.65

-32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 ₱88.6

$2.56 ฿86.3

-45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱128

$3.68 ฿124

-45.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.66 ฿55.9

-4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.6

$1.46 ฿49.31

-25.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 ₱54.2

$1.50 ฿50.5

-43.33%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱123

$2.09 ฿70.5

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.86 ₱310

$19.07 ฿643

-74.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 ₱255

$3.30 ฿111

20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 ₱481

$10.91 ฿368

-30.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ₱136

$2.93 ฿98.9

-27.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ₱110

$1.69 ฿57.0

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 ₱162

$2.25 ฿75.8

12.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₱73.3

$2.08 ฿70.0

-44.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱141

$1.51 ฿51.0

46.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 ₱133

$1.38 ฿46.52

50.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.7

$1.07 ฿35.96

-14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₱38.59

$0.52 ฿17.51

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ₱181

$4.20 ฿142

-32.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ₱468

$18.79 ฿634

-60.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.8

$1.82 ฿61.5

-49.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₱117

$2.84 ฿95.8

-35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₱11.78

$1.45 ฿48.98

-87.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.86 ₱819

$56.7 ฿1,912

-77.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.3

$3.02 ฿102

-73.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.38

$1.02 ฿34.33

-79.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$3.69 ฿125

-49.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱65.9

$1.47 ฿49.76

-29.93%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-28.56%

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

$20.0K ₱1.3M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-25.21%

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

$135 ₱8,582

$96.4 ฿3,251

39.79%

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

$14.33 ₱913

$11.26 ฿380

27.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.57 ₱1,056

$16.85 ฿568

-1.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 ₱1,917

$67.2 ฿2,268

-55.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.28 ₱337

$10.73 ฿362

-50.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 ₱333

$7.50 ฿253

-30.27%

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

$127 ₱8,082

$476 ฿16.1K

-73.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,688 ₱489.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-31.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.05 ₱1,851

$62.4 ฿2,104

-53.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.80 ₱1,325

$28.41 ฿958

-26.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.5 ₱4,047

$94.3 ฿3,181

-32.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.93 ₱2,991

$85.8 ฿2,895

-45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 ₱7,900

$716 ฿24.2K

-82.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.0 ₱4,908

$491 ฿16.6K

-84.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 ₱20.6K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-83.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ₱11.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-86.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱155.1K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-41.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 ₱72.8K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-62.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

5.57

24.24%

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

Last update for Subic Bay Freeport Zone: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$177 27.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 50.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$166 25.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 24.8% $41

Eating Out

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$94 14.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.8% $28

Accommodation & Living

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$77 12%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 537% $414

Clothing & Footwear

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$72 11.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 69% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$41 6.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 103% $42

Getting Around

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

$15 2.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 357% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $124 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $266 per month, with Subic Bay Freeport Zone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

1 h behind Subic Bay Freeport Zone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,178

79,308

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Subic Bay Freeport Zone Phuket 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Subic Bay Freeport Zone
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

Subic Bay Freeport Zone vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Subic Bay Freeport Zone is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $962 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone and $1,917 in Phuket 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: $124 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $127 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $641 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Subic Bay Freeport Zone but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Subic Bay Freeport Zone 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, Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Subic Bay Freeport Zone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.