Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome, GA and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,269 in Rome, GA, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Rome, GA
Learn more

Rome, GA Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Rome, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,269

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,269 in Rome, GA versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rome, GA $2,269
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,195 in Rome, GA versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rome, GA $3,195
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,122 in Rome, GA versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rome, GA $4,122
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rome, GA is roughly 78% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rome, GA is 67% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 $13.58

$4.47 ฿151

203.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.76 $49.76

$32.41 ฿1,093

53.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 $9.16

$8.81 ฿297

3.97%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$2.83 ฿95.4

100.00%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$0.87 ฿29.41

219.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.49 ฿16.65

385.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.56 ฿86.3

90.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.68 ฿124

67.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.66 ฿55.9

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.46 ฿49.31

113.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.50 ฿50.5

205.33%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.09 ฿70.5

97.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$19.07 ฿643

-60.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.30 ฿111

123.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 $9.44

$10.91 ฿368

-13.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.93 ฿98.9

110.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.69 ฿57.0

-29.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.25 ฿75.8

24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.08 ฿70.0

93.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 $3.70

$1.51 ฿51.0

145.03%

Onion (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$1.38 ฿46.52

276.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.07 ฿35.96

71.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.52 ฿17.51

257.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.56 $7.56

$4.20 ฿142

80.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$18.79 ฿634

-21.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.82 ฿61.5

-22.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.84 ฿95.8

-46.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.45 ฿48.98

35.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.4 $57.4

$56.7 ฿1,912

1.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.02 ฿102

0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.02 ฿34.33

50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.77 $29.77

$3.69 ฿125

706.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 ฿49.76

-33.33%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-5.67%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-2.91%

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

$248 $248

$96.4 ฿3,251

157.10%

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

$45.89 $45.89

$11.26 ฿380

307.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 $70.0

$16.85 ฿568

315.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.46 $42.46

$67.2 ฿2,268

-36.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 $12.41

$7.50 ฿253

65.47%

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

$695 $695

$476 ฿16.1K

45.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

59.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.25 $25.25

$62.4 ฿2,104

-59.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 $24.80

$28.41 ฿958

-12.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 $92.8

$94.3 ฿3,181

-1.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$85.8 ฿2,895

56.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 $1,256

$716 ฿24.2K

75.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 $1,052

$491 ฿16.6K

114.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 $1,832

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$1,431 ฿48.3K

14.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,754 $1,754

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-57.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,751 $1,751

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-42.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,691 $2,691

$502 ฿16.9K

435.70%

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 Rome, GA: 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

Rome, GA

$1.1K 46.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 53.3% $561

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome, GA

$364 16%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.8% $239

Groceries & Markets

Rome, GA

$324 14.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 17.9% $58

Eating Out

Rome, GA

$261 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 53.4% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Rome, GA

$125 5.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.4% $2.9

Getting Around

Rome, GA

$76 3.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 7.1% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rome, GA

$67 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 22.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,256 in Rome, GA and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome, GA pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Rome, GA vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rome, GA

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

12 h ahead of Rome, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,127

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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 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

Rome, GA Phuket 15,310 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome, GA
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

Rome, GA vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rome, GA is about 5.4 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: $1,256 in Rome, GA versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $695 in Rome, GA 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 $50 in Rome, GA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,269 in Rome, GA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rome, GA. 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, Rome, GA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.