Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roanoke, VA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,127 in Roanoke, VA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Roanoke, VA
Learn more

Roanoke, VA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Roanoke, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,127

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,127 in Roanoke, VA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Roanoke, VA $2,127
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,041 in Roanoke, VA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Roanoke, VA $3,041
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,955 in Roanoke, VA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Roanoke, VA $3,955
Phuket $3,154

Living in Roanoke, VA is roughly 66% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Roanoke, VA is 56% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 $17.21

$4.47 ฿151

285.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 $55.1

$32.41 ฿1,093

69.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 $11.46

$8.81 ฿297

30.08%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$2.83 ฿95.4

86.93%

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

$2.32 $2.32

$0.87 ฿29.41

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.49 ฿16.65

385.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.56 ฿86.3

73.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.68 ฿124

89.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.66 ฿55.9

-45.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.46 ฿49.31

101.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.50 ฿50.5

197.33%

Eggs

$3.37 $3.37

$2.09 ฿70.5

61.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$19.07 ฿643

-27.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.30 $10.30

$3.30 ฿111

212.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$10.91 ฿368

53.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.93 ฿98.9

87.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.69 ฿57.0

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.25 ฿75.8

70.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.08 ฿70.0

116.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.51 ฿51.0

52.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.38 ฿46.52

123.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.07 ฿35.96

96.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.52 ฿17.51

307.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.09 $9.09

$4.20 ฿142

116.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 $11.90

$18.79 ฿634

-36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.84 ฿95.8

-49.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.45 ฿48.98

24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 $56.9

$56.7 ฿1,912

0.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.02 ฿34.33

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.47 ฿49.76

-40.82%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

34.02%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-2.42%

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

$122 $122

$96.4 ฿3,251

26.20%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$11.26 ฿380

390.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$16.85 ฿568

280.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.30 $37.30

$67.2 ฿2,268

-44.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.28 $23.28

$10.73 ฿362

116.96%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 $12.30

$7.50 ฿253

64.00%

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

$559 $559

$476 ฿16.1K

17.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.98 $44.98

$62.4 ฿2,104

-27.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 $34.85

$28.41 ฿958

22.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 $93.0

$94.3 ฿3,181

-1.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$85.8 ฿2,895

54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 $1,165

$716 ฿24.2K

62.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$961 $961

$491 ฿16.6K

95.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-1.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 $1,359

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-4.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,163 $2,163

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-48.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 $1,844

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-39.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,298 $3,298

$502 ฿16.9K

556.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

5.57

22.26%

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

Last update for Roanoke, VA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roanoke, VA

$961 45.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 48.9% $470

Groceries & Markets

Roanoke, VA

$368 17.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.6% $102

Eating Out

Roanoke, VA

$291 13.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 58.1% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roanoke, VA

$241 11.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 48.3% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Roanoke, VA

$138 6.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.4% $16

Getting Around

Roanoke, VA

$67 * 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 5.3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Roanoke, VA

$62 2.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 32.9% $20

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 $1,165 in Roanoke, VA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roanoke, VA pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Roanoke, VA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Roanoke, VA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

12 h ahead of Roanoke, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,837

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Roanoke, VA Phuket 14,990 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Roanoke, VA
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, VA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Roanoke, VA is about 6.6 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: $1,165 in Roanoke, VA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $559 in Roanoke, VA versus $476 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 $55 in Roanoke, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,127 in Roanoke, VA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Roanoke, VA. 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.

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