Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Royal Oak, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,713 in Royal Oak, MI, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Royal Oak, MI
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Royal Oak, MI Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Royal Oak, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Royal Oak, MI

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 Royal Oak, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,713 in Royal Oak, MI.

Phuket $1,294
Royal Oak, MI $2,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,105 in Royal Oak, MI.

Phuket $2,204
Royal Oak, MI $4,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,497 in Royal Oak, MI.

Phuket $3,115
Royal Oak, MI $5,497

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Royal Oak, MI is 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$17.80 $17.80

-75.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$63.7 $63.7

-49.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$12.49 $12.49

-30.34%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$5.69 $5.69

-52.20%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.58 $2.58

-63.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.99 $1.99

-74.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$5.86 $5.86

-56.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.99 $7.99

-54.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.05 $1.05

65.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.40 $3.40

-57.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.42 $5.42

-72.32%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.99 $3.99

-45.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$13.43 $13.43

42.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$11.28 $11.28

-69.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$16.78 $16.78

-35.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$5.04 $5.04

-41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.54 $1.54

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$4.20 $4.20

-47.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.70 $4.70

-54.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$2.65 $2.65

-44.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$3.18 $3.18

-56.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$2.30 $2.30

-53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$2.24 $2.24

-75.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.05 $10.05

-55.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$15.11 $15.11

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.44 $2.44

-27.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.37 $3.37

-14.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$2.55 $2.55

-43.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$71.2 $71.2

-22.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$2.68 $2.68

-43.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.36 $1.36

-42.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$23.82 $23.82

-83.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.06 $1.06

40.57%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$33.6K $33.6K

-20.11%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$25.8K $25.8K

2.00%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$211 $211

-53.72%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$65.1 $65.1

-82.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$68.7 $68.7

-74.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$11.96 $11.96

-37.88%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$1,031 $1,031

-48.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$20.6K $20.6K

-8.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$59.7 $59.7

3.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$38.23 $38.23

-26.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$96.2 $96.2

-0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$116 $116

-25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,519 $1,519

-52.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,398 $1,398

-63.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$3,532 $3,532

-44.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$2,678 $2,678

-47.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$5,831 $5,831

-91.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.49

-14.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Royal Oak, MI: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Royal Oak, MI

$1.4K 51.5% 175% $889

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Royal Oak, MI

$403 14.9% 51.1% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Royal Oak, MI

$345 12.7% 173% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Royal Oak, MI

$140 5.2% 13.9% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Royal Oak, MI

$312 11.5% 161% $192

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Royal Oak, MI

$24 * 0.9% 71.2% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Royal Oak, MI

$91 3.4% 37.6% $25

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 $1,519 in Royal Oak, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Royal Oak, MI pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $64 in Royal Oak, MI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $403 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Royal Oak, MI

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

22:38 10:38 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

58,211

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Royal Oak, MI 14,410 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Royal Oak, MI

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 Royal Oak, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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 $1,519 in Royal Oak, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $1,031 in Royal Oak, MI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Royal Oak, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,713 in Royal Oak, MI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Royal Oak, MI. 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 Royal Oak, MI are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Royal Oak, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.