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Manila vs Phuket cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ต๐ญ Manila
๐น๐ญ Phuket
At a glance
- Where Phuket is clearly cheaper: Convenience store (31%โ), Local meal (20%โ), Bottled water (17%โ)
- Where Manila is clearly cheaper: Transit (78%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (65%โ), Street food (64%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Manila 3 vs Phuket 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Manila | Phuket | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฑ 280$4.91 | เธฟ 130$3.94 | Phuket โ20% |
| Street food1 item | โฑ 50$0.88 | เธฟ 80$2.42 | Manila โ64% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฑ 800$14 | เธฟ 450$13.6 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | โฑ 150$2.63 | เธฟ 80$2.42 | Phuket โ8% |
| Beerone bottle | โฑ 120$2.11 | เธฟ 110$3.33 | Manila โ37% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฑ 300$5.26 | เธฟ 250$7.58 | Manila โ31% |
| Bottled water | โฑ 25$0.44 | เธฟ 12$0.36 | Phuket โ17% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฑ 63$1.11 | เธฟ 25$0.76 | Phuket โ31% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฑ 220$3.86 | เธฟ 200$6.06 | Manila โ36% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฑ 60$1.05 | เธฟ 100$3.03 | Manila โ65% |
| Transitone ride | โฑ 15$0.26 | เธฟ 40$1.21 | Manila โ78% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฑ 500$8.77 | เธฟ 300$9.09 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | โฑ 3,500$61.4 | เธฟ 2,000$60.6 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | โฑ 25,000$439 | เธฟ 16,000$485 | Manila โ10% |
| Laundry | โฑ 60$1.05 | เธฟ 50$1.52 | Manila โ31% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฑ 350$6.14 | เธฟ 299$9.06 | Manila โ32% |
| Haircutcut | โฑ 180$3.16 | เธฟ 150$4.55 | Manila โ31% |
| Massage1 hour | โฑ 500$8.77 | เธฟ 350$10.6 | Manila โ17% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฑ 1,500$26.3 | เธฟ 1,000$30.3 | Manila โ13% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฑ 150$2.63 | เธฟ 200$6.06 | Manila โ57% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Manila or Phuket?
Manila is 9% cheaper than Phuket. Daily budget $107 vs $109; a month $1,683 vs $2,006.
Which is easier to travel, Manila or Phuket?
About the same: Manila 2.6/5, Phuket 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Manila and Phuket?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Manila is about $1,683 and Phuket about $2,006 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.