Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,732 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
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Rock Island, IL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,732

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,732 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rock Island, IL $2,732
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,099 in Rock Island, IL versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rock Island, IL $4,099
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,466 in Rock Island, IL versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rock Island, IL $5,466
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rock Island, IL is roughly 114% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rock Island, IL is 101% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 $20.11

$4.47 ฿151

349.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 $66.2

$32.41 ฿1,093

104.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.94 $12.94

$8.81 ฿297

46.88%

Cappuccino

$5.70 $5.70

$2.83 ฿95.4

101.41%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$0.87 ฿29.41

260.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.49 ฿16.65

393.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$2.56 ฿86.3

171.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$3.68 ฿124

112.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.66 ฿55.9

-42.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.46 ฿49.31

137.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.50 ฿50.5

189.33%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$2.09 ฿70.5

80.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$19.07 ฿643

-23.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$3.30 ฿111

300.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 $19.86

$10.91 ฿368

82.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.93 ฿98.9

57.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.69 ฿57.0

-6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.25 ฿75.8

131.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.08 ฿70.0

132.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.51 ฿51.0

84.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.38 ฿46.52

124.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.07 ฿35.96

101.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.52 ฿17.51

353.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 $10.74

$4.20 ฿142

155.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$18.79 ฿634

-17.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.82 ฿61.5

51.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.84 ฿95.8

52.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.45 ฿48.98

54.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 $63.1

$56.7 ฿1,912

11.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.02 ฿102

30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.02 ฿34.33

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.96 $42.96

$3.69 ฿125

1064.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.47 ฿49.76

-32.65%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

16.16%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-3.94%

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

$271 $271

$96.4 ฿3,251

181.64%

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

$53.6 $53.6

$11.26 ฿380

375.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$16.85 ฿568

382.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.15 $35.15

$67.2 ฿2,268

-47.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 $15.25

$7.50 ฿253

103.33%

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

$1,641 $1,641

$476 ฿16.1K

244.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

108.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 $63.6

$62.4 ฿2,104

1.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.79 $49.79

$28.41 ฿958

75.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$94.3 ฿3,181

14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$85.8 ฿2,895

40.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$716 ฿24.2K

120.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 $1,251

$491 ฿16.6K

154.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 $2,603

$1,927 ฿65.0K

35.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,363 $2,363

$1,431 ฿48.3K

65.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,641 $2,641

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-36.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,681 $2,681

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-11.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.57

20.11%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: 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

Rock Island, IL

$1.3K 45.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.8% $760

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$429 15.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 37.9% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$406 14.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 69.4% $282

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$341 12.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 64.3% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.8% $32

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$86 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 18.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$66 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 25.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,577 in Rock Island, IL and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Rock Island, IL vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $429 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

04:52 4:52 AM

13 h ahead of Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

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 →

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Rock Island, IL Phuket 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, IL
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

Rock Island, IL vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,099 in Rock Island, IL and $1,917 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,577 in Rock Island, IL versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,641 in Rock Island, IL versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Rock Island, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,732 in Rock Island, IL, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rock Island, IL. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Rock Island, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.