Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockville, MD and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,247 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Rockville, MD
Learn more

Rockville, MD Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,247

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,247 in Rockville, MD versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rockville, MD $3,247
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,701 in Rockville, MD versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rockville, MD $4,701
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,154 in Rockville, MD versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rockville, MD $6,154
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rockville, MD is roughly 154% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rockville, MD is 139% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 $22.62

$4.47 ฿151

406.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

130.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$8.81 ฿297

15.66%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$2.83 ฿95.5

87.63%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$0.87 ฿29.43

178.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.49 ฿16.67

261.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 $6.63

$2.56 ฿86.4

158.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 $7.47

$3.68 ฿124

102.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.66 ฿56.0

-31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.46 ฿49.35

104.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.50 ฿50.6

77.33%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$2.09 ฿70.5

82.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 $9.75

$19.07 ฿644

-48.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$3.30 ฿111

182.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$10.91 ฿368

67.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.93 ฿99.0

61.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.69 ฿57.1

-24.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.25 ฿75.8

94.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.08 ฿70.1

86.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.51 ฿51.0

72.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.38 ฿46.56

78.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.07 ฿35.99

142.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.52 ฿17.52

246.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 $14.00

$4.20 ฿142

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.48 $14.48

$18.79 ฿634

-22.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.82 ฿61.5

32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.84 ฿95.9

32.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.45 ฿49.03

117.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$56.7 ฿1,913

94.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.02 ฿102

67.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.02 ฿34.36

8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.29 $23.29

$3.69 ฿125

531.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.47 ฿49.81

-27.21%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

27.99%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.42%

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

$297 $297

$96.4 ฿3,254

208.71%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$11.26 ฿380

350.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$16.85 ฿569

259.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.82 $42.82

$67.2 ฿2,270

-36.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.46 $12.46

$10.73 ฿362

16.12%

Cinema Ticket

$16.64 $16.64

$7.50 ฿253

121.87%

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

$1,934 $1,934

$476 ฿16.1K

306.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K $27.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

145.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.01 $46.01

$62.4 ฿2,106

-26.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.71 $39.71

$28.41 ฿959

39.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$94.3 ฿3,184

-6.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$85.8 ฿2,898

54.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 $2,213

$716 ฿24.2K

209.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$491 ฿16.6K

264.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,763 $3,763

$1,927 ฿65.1K

95.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,061 $3,061

$1,431 ฿48.3K

113.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,172 $4,172

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-0.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,976 $2,976

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-2.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,378 $6,378

$502 ฿17.0K

1169.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.57

15.98%

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

Last update for Rockville, MD: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockville, MD

$1.8K 55.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 72.6% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockville, MD

$409 12.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 69.5% $284

Groceries & Markets

Rockville, MD

$359 11.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.9% $93

Eating Out

Rockville, MD

$340 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 64.2% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Rockville, MD

$138 4.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.7% $16

Getting Around

Rockville, MD

$133 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 47.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Rockville, MD

$76 2.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 8.1% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,213 in Rockville, MD and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockville, MD pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Rockville, MD vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

23:06 11:06 PM

11 h ahead of Rockville, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,139

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rockville, MD Phuket 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockville, MD
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

Rockville, MD vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 154% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rockville, MD is about 13 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: $2,213 in Rockville, MD versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,934 in Rockville, MD 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 35% higher in Rockville, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,247 in Rockville, MD, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rockville, MD. 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 61% less than in Rockville, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.