PHP will be the easiest platform to execute on a wide varieties of platforms, since most web servers (even the cheapest ones) come with it installed. No need for a VPS or SSH access - just upload and go (usually - unless you're using packages like composer or frameworks like Laravel or Symfony).
NodeJS on the other hand requires special hosting packages (like Heroku) or access to SSH. You won't be able to upload your files to most servers and expect things to work -- it'll require you to install dependencies onto the hosting server.
If I had to start my own website with little to no money, or if I planned on working with cheap clients, I'd use PHP.
If I wanted to (eventually) work for an enterprise-level operation that can pay for a bunch of cloud based microservices -- I'd go with NodeJS. You'll learn the most, as most of it's workflows (NPM, transpiling, etc) will translate to frameworks like React. It also forces you to go into the "backend" more than PHP ever will. Both will do server side rendering, but only NodeJS can create a virtual server (using Express).
Hope that cleared a little up. I struggled finding a clear answer between these technologies as everyone's opinions outweighed practical reasoning. Ideally NodeJS is better, but there's a reason PHP is so popular -- it's easier to implement.