Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Road Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,593 in Road Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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

Road Town

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

$2,593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Road Town

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 Road Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,593 in Road Town.

Phuket $1,294
Road Town $2,593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,460 in Road Town.

Phuket $2,204
Road Town $4,460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $6,327 in Road Town.

Phuket $3,115
Road Town $6,327

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Road Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Road Town is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$17.47 $17.47

-74.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$80.2 $80.2

-59.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.92 $7.92

9.85%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$4.60 $4.60

-40.87%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.67 $1.67

-44.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.98 $0.98

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$4.07 $4.07

-37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.81 $1.81

100.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$2.25 $2.25

-22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$4.71 $4.71

-69.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.05 $3.05

-50.82%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$5.02 $5.02

-56.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$3.69 $3.69

-20.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.39 $3.39

-50.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.04 $2.04

7.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$6.63 $6.63

-68.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$4.79 $4.79

-69.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$3.96 $3.96

-65.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$6.24 $6.24

-82.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.91 $1.91

-71.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.37 $5.37

-17.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$10.95 $10.95

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$4.37 $4.37

-66.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.23 $1.23

21.14%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$160 $160

-38.91%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$90.3 $90.3

-87.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$124 $124

-86.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$118 $118

-42.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$20.09 $20.09

-45.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$9.82 $9.82

-24.34%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$377 $377

40.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$15.0K $15.0K

25.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$46.66 $46.66

32.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$54.5 $54.5

-48.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$128 $128

-24.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$141 $141

-38.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,695 $1,695

-57.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,369 $1,369

-62.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$4,311 $4,311

-54.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$3,608 $3,608

-61.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,698 $1,698

-71.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Road Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Road Town

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Road Town

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Road Town

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Road Town

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Road Town

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Road Town

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Road Town

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,695 in Road Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Road Town pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $80 in Road Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $274 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇬 Road Town

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

09:49 9:49 AM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,603 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Road Town 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Road Town

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 Road Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Phuket. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,695 in Road Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $377 in Road Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $80 in Road Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,593 in Road Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Road Town. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, Phuket and Road Town are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Road Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.