Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarlac City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarlac City: $523 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Tarlac City
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Tarlac City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$523

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $523 in Tarlac City versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tarlac City $523
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $801 in Tarlac City versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tarlac City $801
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,080 in Tarlac City versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tarlac City $1,080
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tarlac City costs roughly 59% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tarlac City 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 ₱127

$4.47 ฿151

-55.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.94 ₱506

$32.41 ฿1,093

-75.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.67 ₱170

$8.81 ฿297

-69.69%

Cappuccino

$1.82 ₱116

$2.83 ฿95.4

-35.69%

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

$0.48 ₱30.74

$0.87 ฿29.41

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.16

$0.49 ฿16.65

-38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ₱60.7

$2.56 ฿86.3

-62.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱100

$3.68 ฿124

-57.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.66 ฿55.9

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱72.1

$1.46 ฿49.31

-22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱64.1

$1.50 ฿50.5

-32.67%

Eggs

$1.92 ₱123

$2.09 ฿70.5

-8.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.95 ₱315

$19.07 ฿643

-74.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 ₱171

$3.30 ฿111

-18.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.35 ₱405

$10.91 ฿368

-41.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₱100

$2.93 ฿98.9

-46.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₱96.5

$1.69 ฿57.0

-10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ₱128

$2.25 ฿75.8

-10.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$2.08 ฿70.0

-50.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 ₱109

$1.51 ฿51.0

13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₱75.5

$1.38 ฿46.52

-13.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₱41.82

$1.07 ฿35.96

-38.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.34

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₱189

$4.20 ฿142

-29.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.72 ₱237

$18.79 ฿634

-80.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱57.0

$1.82 ฿61.5

-51.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ₱97.1

$2.84 ฿95.8

-46.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.32

$1.45 ฿48.98

-83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.05 ₱513

$56.7 ฿1,912

-85.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₱47.51

$3.02 ฿102

-75.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.94

$1.02 ฿34.33

-78.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₱82.8

$3.69 ฿125

-64.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱71.0

$1.47 ฿49.76

-24.49%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-20.71%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-28.79%

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

$87.4 ₱5,568

$96.4 ฿3,251

-9.31%

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

$5.34 ₱340

$11.26 ฿380

-52.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.23 ₱1,480

$16.85 ฿568

37.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.36 ₱2,508

$67.2 ฿2,268

-41.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 ₱1,014

$10.73 ฿362

48.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 ₱326

$7.50 ฿253

-31.87%

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

$130 ₱8,276

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₱669.4K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-6.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.72 ₱1,830

$62.4 ฿2,104

-53.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.79 ₱1,198

$28.41 ฿958

-33.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 ₱3,948

$94.3 ฿3,181

-34.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.50 ₱3,027

$85.8 ฿2,895

-44.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.2 ₱5,558

$716 ฿24.2K

-87.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.5 ₱4,495

$491 ฿16.6K

-85.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₱15.8K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-87.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ₱10.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-88.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$370 ₱23.6K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-91.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$284 ₱18.1K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-90.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$208 ₱13.3K

$502 ฿16.9K

-58.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Tarlac City: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tarlac City

$148 28.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 79.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarlac City

$116 22.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 7.3% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Tarlac City

$71 13.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 72.6% $51

Accommodation & Living

Tarlac City

$71 13.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 596% $420

Eating Out

Tarlac City

$57 10.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 114% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Tarlac City

$50 9.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 65.8% $33

Getting Around

Tarlac City

$11 2.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 551% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $87 in Tarlac City and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times 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: $8 in Tarlac City vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $148 vs $266 per month, with Tarlac City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tarlac City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

1 h behind Tarlac City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,398

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tarlac City Phuket 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tarlac 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

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

Tarlac City is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Tarlac City. 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: $87 in Tarlac City versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $130 in Tarlac City 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 80% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $523 in Tarlac City versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Tarlac City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tarlac City 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, Tarlac City and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tarlac City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.