Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rome, GA

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,269 in Rome, GA, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Rome, GA, United States
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Rome, GA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rome, GA

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 Rome, GA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,269 in Rome, GA.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Rome, GA $2,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,195 in Rome, GA.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Rome, GA $3,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,122 in Rome, GA.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Rome, GA $4,122

Living in Phuket costs roughly 44% less than in Rome, GA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Rome, GA is 67% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$13.58 $13.58
-67.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$49.76 $49.76
-34.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$9.16 $9.16
-3.82%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$5.66 $5.66
-50.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$2.78 $2.78
-68.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$2.38 $2.38
-79.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$4.87 $4.87
-47.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$6.18 $6.18
-40.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.03 $1.03
61.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$3.11 $3.11
-53.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$4.58 $4.58
-67.25%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$4.12 $4.12
-49.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$7.49 $7.49
154.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$7.38 $7.38
-55.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$9.44 $9.44
15.57%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$6.18 $6.18
-52.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.19 $1.19
42.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.79 $2.79
-19.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$4.03 $4.03
-48.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$3.70 $3.70
-59.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$5.20 $5.20
-73.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$1.83 $1.83
-41.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$1.86 $1.86
-72.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$7.56 $7.56
-44.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$14.78 $14.78
27.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.41 $1.41
29.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$1.52 $1.52
86.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$1.96 $1.96
-26.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$57.4 $57.4
-1.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$3.04 $3.04
-0.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$1.54 $1.54
-33.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$29.77 $29.77
-87.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$0.98 $0.98
50.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$25.3K $25.3K
6.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$25.9K $25.9K
3.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$248 $248
-61.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$45.89 $45.89
-75.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$70.0 $70.0
-75.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$42.46 $42.46
58.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$12.41 $12.41
-39.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$695 $695
-31.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$18.0K $18.0K
-37.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$25.25 $25.25
146.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$24.80 $24.80
14.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$92.8 $92.8
1.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$135 $135
-36.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$1,256 $1,256
-43.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$1,052 $1,052
-53.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,832 $1,832
5.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,632 $1,632
-12.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$1,754 $1,754
138.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$1,751 $1,751
73.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Rome, GA
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$2,691 $2,691
-81.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.69
-16.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rome, GA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Rome, GA
$1.1K 114% $561
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Rome, GA
$324 21.7% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Rome, GA
$364 192% $239
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Rome, GA
$125 2.4% $2.9
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Rome, GA
$261 115% $140
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Rome, GA
$67 18.2% $15
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Rome, GA
$76 7.7% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,256 in Rome, GA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome, GA pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $50 in Rome, GA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $324 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇺🇸 Rome, GA
🕒 Local time
14:02 2:02 PM
02:02 2:02 AM
12 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
32,127
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Rome, GA 15,310 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Rome, GA

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 Rome, GA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Rome, GA?
Phuket is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Rome, GA?
On paper, salaries run 81% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Rome, GA?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,256 in Rome, GA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $695 in Rome, GA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Rome, GA?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $50 in Rome, GA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Rome, GA?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,269 in Rome, GA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rome, GA. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Rome, GA?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Rome, GA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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