For one person, living is cheaper in Qom: $436 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
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 Qom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $436 in Qom.
Phuket $1,208
Qom $436
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $846 in Qom.
Phuket $2,027
Qom $846
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,255 in Qom.
Phuket $2,845
Qom $1,255
🌍
Living in Phuket is roughly 177% more expensive than in Qom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket11% lower, Qom68% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Qom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40฿147
$2.94$2.94
49.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.26฿1,078
$16.89$16.89
91.00%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$8.76฿293
$3.89$3.89
125.19%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.51$0.51
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.46$1.46
-
Cappuccino
$2.83฿94.5
$1.03$1.03
174.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90฿30.14
$0.42$0.42
114.29%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47฿15.56
$1.74$1.74
-72.99%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.55฿85.2
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83฿128
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Qom
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.73฿57.7
$0.53$0.53
226.42%
White Bread(500g)
$1.47฿49.11
$0.61$0.61
140.98%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.51฿50.6
$1.74$1.74
-13.22%
Eggs
$2.17฿72.7
$1.05$1.05
106.67%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$19.70฿658
$2.76$2.76
613.77%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.34฿112
$3.11$3.11
7.40%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$11.16฿373
$7.39$7.39
51.01%
Apples(1kg)
$2.85฿95.1
$0.84$0.84
239.29%
Banana(1kg)
$1.70฿56.9
$1.45$1.45
17.24%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.19฿73.3
$0.96$0.96
128.13%
Tomato(1kg)
$2.05฿68.4
$0.43$0.43
376.74%
Potato(1kg)
$1.45฿48.57
$0.44$0.44
229.55%
Onion(1kg)
$1.38฿46.16
$0.47$0.47
193.62%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.07฿35.69
$0.26$0.26
311.54%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51฿16.91
$0.26$0.26
96.15%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$0.79$0.79
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.44$0.44
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.47$1.47
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26฿142
$1.24$1.24
243.55%
Wine(Bottle)
$18.58฿621
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78฿59.7
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85฿95.2
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Qom
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$2.26฿75.6
$0.17$0.17
1229.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$22.10฿738
$14.65$14.65
50.85%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$3.01฿101
$0.24$0.24
1154.17%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.06฿35.34
$0.25$0.25
324.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$3.86฿129
$0.99$0.99
289.90%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.45฿48.45
$0.09$0.09
1511.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K฿879.9K
$49.2K$49.2K
-46.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K฿900.4K
$44.7K$44.7K
-39.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Qom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$96.4฿3,221
$12.81$12.81
652.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.04฿369
$1.23$1.23
797.56%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.14฿573
$3.67$3.67
367.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Qom
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$52.2฿1,744
$8.79$8.79
493.63%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.16฿373
$9.66$9.66
15.53%
Cinema Ticket
$7.81฿261
$0.98$0.98
696.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Qom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$556฿18.6K
$110$110
406.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$11.6K฿387.0K
$2,609$2,609
343.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Qom
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2฿2,146
$14.88$14.88
331.45%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.69฿959
$13.19$13.19
117.51%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$95.4฿3,187
$102$102
-6.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0฿2,940
$49.23$49.23
78.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Qom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$737฿24.6K
$241$241
205.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$462฿15.5K
$160$160
188.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,095฿70.0K
$579$579
261.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,201฿40.1K
$568$568
111.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,488฿116.6K
$914$914
281.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$2,523฿84.3K
$609$609
314.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Qom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$501฿16.7K
$211$211
137.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5.57
20.33
-72.60%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026
Last update for Qom: October 17, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$462 38.3%
Qom
$160 36.8% ↓ 65.3%$302
🛒Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$269 22.2%
Qom
$94 21.5% ↓ 65%$175
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125 10.3%
Qom
$18 4.1% ↓ 85.8%$107
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124 10.3%
Qom
$81 18.5% ↓ 35.2%$44
🍽Eating Out
Phuket
$121 10%
Qom
$56 12.9% ↓ 53.7%$65
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68 5.6%
Qom
$11 2.5% ↓ 84.1%$57
🚌Getting Around
Phuket
$39 3.3%
Qom
$17 3.9% ↓ 57.4%$23
🏠Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$1.2K 42.2%
Qom
$568 45.2% ↓ 52.7%$633
🛒Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$606 21.3%
Qom
$230 18.3% ↓ 62%$376
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$136 4.8%
Qom
$19 1.5% ↓ 86%$117
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$276 9.7%
Qom
$179 14.3% ↓ 35.2%$97
🍽Eating Out
Phuket
$396 13.9%
Qom
$194 15.5% ↓ 50.9%$202
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$147 5.2%
Qom
$31 2.5% ↓ 78.8%$116
🚌Getting Around
Phuket
$83 2.9%
Qom
$34 2.7% ↓ 59.3%$49
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $241 in Qom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Phuket pays 137% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Qom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $94.0 per month, with Qom cheaper across the board.
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 Qom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Qom cheaper than Phuket?
Qom is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 177% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Qom?
Average pay runs 137% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Qom?
Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $241 in Qom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $110 in Qom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Qom?
Supermarket bills run roughly 186% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Qom?
At $436 in Qom versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Qom but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Qom the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Qom more family-friendly?
For families, Qom is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Qom?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Qom are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Qom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.