Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Road Town and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,593 in Road Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Road Town

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

$2,593

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Road Town and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Road Town and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,593 in Road Town versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Road Town $2,593
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,460 in Road Town versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Road Town $4,460
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,327 in Road Town versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Road Town $6,327
Phuket $3,115

Living in Road Town is roughly 100% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Road Town is 92% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 $17.47

$4.39 ฿148

297.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$32.31 ฿1,090

148.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 $7.92

$8.70 ฿294

-8.97%

Cappuccino

$4.60 $4.60

$2.72 ฿91.9

69.12%

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

$1.67 $1.67

$0.93 ฿31.38

79.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.50 ฿16.85

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.53 ฿85.4

60.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$3.63 ฿122

-50.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.74 ฿58.7

29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.45 ฿48.93

224.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.50 ฿50.7

103.33%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$2.17 ฿73.3

131.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.94 ฿99.2

25.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.69 ฿57.1

100.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.19 ฿74.0

-6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$2.12 ฿71.6

212.74%

Potato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$1.46 ฿49.19

228.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.37 ฿46.14

189.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.24 $6.24

$1.08 ฿36.29

477.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.55 ฿18.40

247.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 $5.37

$4.43 ฿149

21.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 $10.95

$18.25 ฿616

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.45 ฿48.82

201.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.49 ฿50.2

-17.45%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

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

$160 $160

$97.8 ฿3,299

63.68%

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

$90.3 $90.3

$11.29 ฿381

699.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$124 $124

$17.19 ฿580

624.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 $118

$68.3 ฿2,305

72.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 $20.09

$10.92 ฿368

83.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 $9.82

$7.43 ฿251

32.17%

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

$377 $377

$530 ฿17.9K

-28.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K $15.0K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-20.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.66 $46.66

$61.7 ฿2,080

-24.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 $54.5

$28.25 ฿953

92.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$96.0 ฿3,238

33.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$86.8 ฿2,928

61.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 $1,695

$721 ฿24.3K

135.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 $1,369

$509 ฿17.2K

169.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,311 $4,311

$1,950 ฿65.8K

121.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,608 $3,608

$1,397 ฿47.1K

158.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,698 $1,698

$492 ฿16.6K

245.33%

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 Road Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Road Town

–

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Groceries & Markets

Road Town

–

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Road Town

–

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Road Town

–

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Eating Out

Road Town

–

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Road Town

–

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Getting Around

Road Town

–

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Road Town and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Road Town pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Road Town vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇬 Road Town

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

11 h ahead of Road Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,603 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Road Town Phuket 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Road Town
Phuket

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

Road Town vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Road Town is about 3.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Road Town versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $377 in Road Town versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $80 in Road Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,593 in Road Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Road Town. 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, Road Town and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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