Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Roi Et

For one person, living is cheaper in Roi Et: $911 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Roi Et
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Roi Et Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Roi Et

🇹🇭 Thailand

$911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Roi Et

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 Roi Et actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $911 in Roi Et.

Phuket $1,294
Roi Et $911

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,441 in Roi Et.

Phuket $2,204
Roi Et $1,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,971 in Roi Et.

Phuket $3,115
Roi Et $1,971

Living in Phuket is roughly 42% more expensive than in Roi Et, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Roi Et 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.95 ฿65.9

125.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$17.98 ฿606

79.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.66 ฿225

30.63%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.90 ฿63.9

43.16%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.73 ฿24.50

27.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.28 ฿9.52

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.11 ฿71.1

19.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.00 ฿101

21.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.61 ฿54.3

8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.48 ฿50.1

-2.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.22 ฿41.24

22.95%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.96 ฿66.1

10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$16.47 ฿556

15.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.13 ฿71.8

59.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$11.20 ฿378

-2.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.97 ฿100

-1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.08 ฿36.41

56.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.75 ฿59.1

25.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.56 ฿52.6

35.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.29 ฿43.48

13.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.97 ฿32.75

41.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$1.06 ฿35.79

1.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.48 ฿16.17

14.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.50 ฿152

-1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$15.03 ฿507

21.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.59 ฿53.6

11.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.79 ฿94.0

3.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.93 ฿31.33

55.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.09 ฿36.85

38.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.17 ฿39.51

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$4.92 ฿166

-21.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.21 ฿40.84

23.14%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$29.7K ฿1.0M

-9.59%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$26.4K ฿890.7K

-0.23%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$81.8 ฿2,758

19.62%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.18 ฿377

0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$18.85 ฿636

-8.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$49.87 ฿1,682

37.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$14.68 ฿495

-25.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.22 ฿243

2.91%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$533 ฿18.0K

-0.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$14.6K ฿492.8K

28.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$49.77 ฿1,679

23.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$25.93 ฿875

8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$59.6 ฿2,011

61.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$74.9 ฿2,525

15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$448 ฿15.1K

60.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$318 ฿10.7K

60.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,246 ฿42.0K

56.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$705 ฿23.8K

98.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,048 ฿69.1K

104.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,797 ฿60.6K

83.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$892 ฿30.1K

-44.87%

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 Roi Et: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Roi Et

$318 34.9% 37.6% $191

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Roi Et

$233 25.6% 12.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Roi Et

$112 12.3% 11.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Roi Et

$95 10.4% 22.9% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Roi Et

$79 8.7% 34% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Roi Et

$64 7.1% 22.7% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Roi Et

$11 * 1.2% 83.9% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $448 in Roi Et. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roi Et pays 81% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $18 in Roi Et for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $233 per month, with Roi Et cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Roi Et

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,229

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Roi Et 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Roi Et

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 Roi Et: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roi Et is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 45% 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 $448 in Roi Et. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $533 in Roi Et. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Roi Et – a meal for two runs $18 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Roi Et is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Roi Et are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.