Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $627 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in La Romana

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $627 in La Romana, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
La Romana $627

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,011 in La Romana, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
La Romana $1,011

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,395 in La Romana, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
La Romana $1,395

Phuket costs about 106% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and La Romana are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, La Romana 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$8.32 DOP 500

-47.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$41.07 DOP 2,466

-21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.93 DOP 416

25.54%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.82 DOP 109

49.45%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.72 DOP 43.40

29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.32 DOP 19.20

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.38 DOP 143

6.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.84 DOP 231

-5.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.07 DOP 64.3

62.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.78 DOP 107

-18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.53 DOP 91.8

-1.96%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.48 DOP 88.7

46.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.36 DOP 382

200.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.47 DOP 208

-2.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$4.75 DOP 285

129.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.74 DOP 225

-21.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.38 DOP 82.8

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.34 DOP 200

-34.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$2.17 DOP 131

-2.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.51 DOP 211

-58.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.95 DOP 177

-53.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.94 DOP 56.2

14.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.60 DOP 95.9

-65.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.69 DOP 282

-5.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$16.13 DOP 969

13.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$3.01 DOP 181

-41.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.33 DOP 200

-13.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.41 DOP 145

-37.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$3.34 DOP 200

-76.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.37 DOP 82.5

8.76%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$14.5K DOP 872.7K

85.01%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

4.18%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$92.3 DOP 5,545

5.95%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$9.95 DOP 598

13.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$38.80 DOP 2,330

-55.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.93 DOP 296

50.71%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$145 DOP 8,721

265.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$5,443 DOP 326.9K

245.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$25.87 DOP 1,554

138.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$45.03 DOP 2,705

-37.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$60.9 DOP 3,657

57.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$65.0 DOP 3,906

33.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for La Romana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

La Romana

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

La Romana

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

La Romana

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

La Romana

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

La Romana

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

La Romana

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

La Romana

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $41 in La Romana. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $236 in La Romana – so La Romana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

18:16 6:16 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

567,431

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket La Romana 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
La Romana

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

Phuket vs La Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $941 in La Romana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $627 in La Romana. That makes La Romana about 52% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $145 in La Romana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Phuket at $1,294. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $627 in La Romana to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.