Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
Learn more

Rome Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,998 in Rome versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Rome $1,998
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,117 in Rome versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Rome $3,117
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,236 in Rome versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Rome $4,236
Phuket $2,867

Living in Rome 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: Rome is 48% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$4.58 ฿153

264.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$32.48 ฿1,086

102.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$8.55 ฿286

29.59%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$2.72 ฿91.0

-22.79%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$0.94 ฿31.25

209.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.49 ฿16.39

202.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$2.59 ฿86.6

116.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$3.83 ฿128

74.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.74 ฿58.1

-1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.43 ฿47.82

58.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.53 ฿51.0

95.42%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.23

$2.17 ฿72.7

118.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$19.15 ฿640

-24.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.24

$3.30 ฿110

282.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.67

$11.14 ฿372

78.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.95 ฿98.5

-10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.68 ฿56.1

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.30 ฿76.8

6.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$2.13 ฿71.3

13.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.53 ฿51.1

-9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.36 ฿45.55

13.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.12 ฿37.44

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.55 ฿18.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.50

$4.26 ฿142

71.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$18.19 ฿608

-70.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.74 ฿58.2

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.79 ฿93.3

-6.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.22 ฿74.1

-26.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$22.06 ฿737

77.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 €5.79

$2.91 ฿97.3

123.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.01 ฿33.79

66.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

$3.83 ฿128

767.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.49 ฿49.85

45.64%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

32.49%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

32.62%

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

$203 €181

$99.4 ฿3,321

104.25%

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

$11.50 €10.22

$11.28 ฿377

1.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 €28.49

$17.36 ฿580

84.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 €58.6

$52.3 ฿1,747

25.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

$10.85 ฿362

110.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$7.57 ฿253

48.35%

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

$484 €430

$558 ฿18.7K

-13.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

43.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €63.1

$62.9 ฿2,102

12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 €32.47

$28.58 ฿955

27.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$96.1 ฿3,213

-11.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$88.1 ฿2,943

38.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 €1,087

$729 ฿24.4K

67.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €784

$460 ฿15.4K

91.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

$2,096 ฿70.0K

21.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 €1,530

$1,222 ฿40.8K

40.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 €7,360

$3,459 ฿115.6K

139.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,084 €2,743

$2,489 ฿83.2K

23.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,942 €1,728

$493 ฿16.5K

293.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

5.57

-36.80%

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

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$881 44.1%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 47.8% $421

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$329 16.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 18.7% $62

Eating Out

Rome

$251 12.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 51.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 48.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$141 7.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 23.7% $21

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 36% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,222 in Rome and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rome pays 294% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Rome vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

5 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rome Phuket 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
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 vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 294% higher in Rome, 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: $1,222 in Rome versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $484 in Rome versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Rome. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,998 in Rome, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rome and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.