Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Romsey

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,503 in Romsey, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Romsey
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,503
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Romsey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,503 in Romsey.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Romsey $2,503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,715 in Romsey.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Romsey $3,715

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $4,927 in Romsey.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Romsey $4,927

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Romsey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Romsey is 85% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$17.48 A$25.15
-73.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,086
$82.7 A$119
-60.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$12.48 A$17.96
-31.49%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.0
$3.94 A$5.68
-30.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.25
$3.18 A$4.58
-70.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.39
$2.51 A$3.61
-80.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$9.99 A$14.38
-74.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$8.38 A$12.05
-54.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$1.49 A$2.15
16.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.82
$2.96 A$4.26
-51.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$2.62 A$3.77
-41.60%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$5.33 A$7.67
-59.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$10.61 A$15.27
80.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$9.87 A$14.21
-66.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
$14.98 A$21.55
-25.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$4.13 A$5.94
-28.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$3.03 A$4.35
-44.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$3.10 A$4.46
-25.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.3
$4.75 A$6.84
-55.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$2.93 A$4.21
-47.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.55
$2.55 A$3.68
-46.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.44
$2.37 A$3.41
-52.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.24
$1.59 A$2.28
-65.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$44.27 A$63.7
-90.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$12.29 A$17.68
48.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$5.45 A$7.84
-68.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$5.16 A$7.43
-45.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.1
$3.07 A$4.41
-27.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$81.2 A$117
-72.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$4.44 A$6.39
-34.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.79
$1.42 A$2.05
-28.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$30.36 A$43.69
-87.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.85
$1.43 A$2.06
4.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.6K
$28.5K A$41.0K
-6.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.7K
$26.0K A$37.4K
2.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,321
$231 A$333
-57.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$27.97 A$40.25
-59.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$55.7 A$80.2
-68.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,747
$54.0 A$77.8
-3.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
$18.02 A$25.93
-39.79%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$15.19 A$21.87
-50.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.7K
$2,369 A$3,409
-76.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.9K
$29.5K A$42.5K
-61.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,102
$80.9 A$116
-22.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$49.28 A$70.9
-42.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,213
$118 A$170
-18.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,943
$135 A$194
-34.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$1,536 A$2,210
-52.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$1,130 A$1,626
-59.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$2,062 A$2,967
1.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$1,898 A$2,731
-35.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.6K
$6,391 A$9,196
-45.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.2K
$4,239 A$6,100
-41.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Romsey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.9
-5.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Romsey: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Romsey
$1.1K 146% $670
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Romsey
$382 42.8% $114
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Romsey
$315 146% $187
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Romsey
$172 38.9% $48
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Romsey
$314 159% $193
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Romsey
$84 25.2% $17
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Romsey
$105 170% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,536 in Romsey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $83.0 in Romsey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $382 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇦🇺 Romsey
🕒 Local time
07:06 7:06 AM
11:06 11:06 AM
4 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
4,400
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Romsey 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Romsey

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 Romsey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Romsey cheaper than Phuket?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 107% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $3,754 in Romsey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Romsey?
Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $1,536 in Romsey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $2,369 in Romsey. 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 Romsey?
Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Romsey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Romsey?
At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,503 in Romsey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Romsey. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Romsey more family-friendly?
For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Romsey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Romsey?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Romsey 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Romsey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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