Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roanoke, AL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,443 in Roanoke, AL, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Roanoke, AL, United States
Phuket, Thailand
Roanoke, AL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,443
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Roanoke, AL 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 Roanoke, AL and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Roanoke, AL versus $1,294 in Phuket.

  • Roanoke, AL $2,443
  • Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,736 in Roanoke, AL versus $2,204 in Phuket.

  • Roanoke, AL $3,736
  • Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,030 in Roanoke, AL versus $3,115 in Phuket.

  • Roanoke, AL $5,030
  • Phuket $3,115

Living in Roanoke, AL is roughly 89% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Roanoke, AL is 81% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.13 $20.13
$4.39 ฿148
358.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.9 $73.9
$32.31 ฿1,089
128.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.56 $11.56
$8.70 ฿293
32.87%
Cappuccino
$5.27 $5.27
$2.72 ฿91.8
93.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 $2.65
$0.93 ฿31.35
184.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 $2.02
$0.50 ฿16.83
304.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.90 $5.90
$2.53 ฿85.3
133.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.57 $6.57
$3.63 ฿122
80.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.74 ฿58.6
-40.23%
White Bread (500g)
$3.61 $3.61
$1.45 ฿48.89
148.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.95 $4.95
$1.50 ฿50.6
230.00%
Eggs
$4.09 $4.09
$2.17 ฿73.2
88.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.63 $10.63
$19.09 ฿643
-44.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.55 $11.55
$3.40 ฿115
239.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.03 $17.03
$10.90 ฿367
56.24%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 $5.17
$2.94 ฿99.1
75.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 $1.65
$1.69 ฿57.0
-2.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.47 $4.47
$2.19 ฿73.9
104.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.64 $4.64
$2.12 ฿71.6
118.87%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.46 ฿49.15
95.21%
Onion (1kg)
$2.64 $2.64
$1.37 ฿46.10
92.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 $2.34
$1.08 ฿36.26
116.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 $2.54
$0.55 ฿18.38
361.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.41 $10.41
$4.43 ฿149
134.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.03 $15.03
$18.25 ฿615
-17.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 $1.84
$1.77 ฿59.7
3.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 $3.00
$2.88 ฿97.1
4.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 $1.79
$1.45 ฿48.78
23.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.5 $60.5
$54.9 ฿1,850
10.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 $3.14
$1.51 ฿51.0
107.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.88 $1.88
$0.78 ฿26.14
141.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.55 $25.55
$3.84 ฿129
565.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.96 $0.96
$1.49 ฿50.1
-35.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$26.9K ฿905.9K
-2.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$26.3K ฿887.8K
-6.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$196 $196
$97.8 ฿3,296
100.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$67.0 $67.0
$11.29 ฿381
493.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.2 $69.2
$17.19 ฿579
302.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.23 $40.23
$68.3 ฿2,303
-41.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.92 ฿368
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.80 $13.80
$7.43 ฿250
85.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,342 $1,342
$530 ฿17.9K
153.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.0K $23.0K
$18.8K ฿632.9K
22.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 $53.7
$61.7 ฿2,078
-12.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.09 $41.09
$28.25 ฿952
45.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.8 $89.8
$96.0 ฿3,235
-6.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 $116
$86.8 ฿2,926
33.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,673 $1,673
$721 ฿24.3K
132.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 $1,108
$509 ฿17.1K
117.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,534 $2,534
$1,950 ฿65.7K
29.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 $2,102
$1,397 ฿47.1K
50.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,844 $2,844
$4,192 ฿141.3K
-32.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,343 $2,343
$3,298 ฿111.2K
-28.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Roanoke, AL
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$492 ฿16.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.59
5.57
18.31%

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

Last update for Roanoke, AL: 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
Roanoke, AL
$1.1K
Phuket
$509 54.1% $599
Groceries & Markets
Roanoke, AL
$399
Phuket
$267 33.2% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Roanoke, AL
$332
Phuket
$126 62% $206
Eating Out
Roanoke, AL
$320
Phuket
$120 62.7% $201
Clothing & Footwear
Roanoke, AL
$135
Phuket
$123 9.1% $12
Getting Around
Roanoke, AL
$80
Phuket
$66 17.6% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Roanoke, AL
$68
Phuket
$83 22.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in Roanoke, AL and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in Roanoke, AL vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Roanoke, AL
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
10:01 10:01 AM
23:01 11:01 PM
13 h ahead of Roanoke, AL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
99,837
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Roanoke, AL Phuket 15,430 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Roanoke, AL
  • 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
Roanoke, AL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Roanoke, AL?
Phuket is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,664 in Roanoke, AL and $1,940 in Phuket 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 Roanoke, AL and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,673 in Roanoke, AL versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,342 in Roanoke, AL versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Roanoke, AL and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Roanoke, AL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Roanoke, AL or in Phuket?
At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,443 in Roanoke, AL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Roanoke, AL. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Roanoke, AL or in Phuket?
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 easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Roanoke, AL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Roanoke, AL vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?