Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rumia

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,466 in Rumia, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rumia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Rumia
Learn more

Rumia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Rumia

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rumia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,466 in Rumia.

Phuket $1,294
Rumia $1,466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,070 in Rumia.

Phuket $2,204
Rumia $2,070

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,674 in Rumia.

Phuket $3,115
Rumia $2,674

Living in Phuket costs roughly 12% less than in Rumia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Rumia is 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.06 zł 39.45

-56.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$30.30 zł 119

6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$6.79 zł 26.62

28.13%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$3.62 zł 14.18

-24.86%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$2.02 zł 7.94

-53.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$1.63 zł 6.40

-69.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$3.41 zł 13.37

-25.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.78 zł 14.83

-3.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.94 zł 3.68

85.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.24 zł 4.87

16.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.32 zł 5.19

13.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$3.68 zł 14.42

-41.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$8.63 zł 33.85

121.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.46 zł 25.32

-47.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$11.91 zł 46.71

-8.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$1.06 zł 4.15

177.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.66 zł 6.51

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.62 zł 6.35

35.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$2.61 zł 10.25

-18.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$0.90 zł 3.51

62.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$0.99 zł 3.89

38.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.25 zł 4.89

-13.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.01 zł 3.95

-45.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$5.29 zł 20.75

-16.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$6.42 zł 25.16

184.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.12 zł 4.40

58.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$1.50 zł 5.89

92.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.25 zł 4.91

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$32.12 zł 126

70.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.01 zł 7.89

-24.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$0.74 zł 2.92

5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$10.10 zł 39.60

-61.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.72 zł 6.75

-13.37%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$30.7K zł 120.5K

-12.57%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$27.4K zł 107.6K

-3.99%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$284 zł 1,112

-65.50%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$8.36 zł 32.76

35.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$17.06 zł 66.9

0.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$38.01 zł 149

79.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$21.90 zł 85.9

-50.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$7.15 zł 28.03

3.92%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$364 zł 1,427

45.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$8,132 zł 31.9K

130.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$80.1 zł 314

-23.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$41.22 zł 162

-31.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$87.7 zł 344

9.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$99.3 zł 389

-12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$598 zł 2,346

20.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$526 zł 2,063

-3.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$986 zł 3,864

97.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$814 zł 3,190

71.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$2,906 zł 11.4K

44.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$2,221 zł 8,707

48.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$1,466 zł 5,747

-66.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.74

-17.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rumia: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Rumia

$526 35.9% 3.4% $17

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Rumia

$214 14.6% 19.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Rumia

$309 21.1% 145% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Rumia

$139 9.5% 13.1% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Rumia

$184 12.5% 53.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Rumia

$52 3.6% 37.1% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Rumia

$43 2.9% 35.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $598 in Rumia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rumia pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Rumia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $214 per month, with Rumia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇱 Rumia

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

49,672

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PLN = 0.255 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.92 PLN (1 PLN = 0.255 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Rumia 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rumia

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 Rumia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 66% 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 $598 in Rumia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $364 in Rumia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rumia pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

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