Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Royal Oak, MI and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,713 in Royal Oak, MI, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Royal Oak, MI
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Royal Oak, MI Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Royal Oak, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,713

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,713 in Royal Oak, MI versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Royal Oak, MI $2,713
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,105 in Royal Oak, MI versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Royal Oak, MI $4,105
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,497 in Royal Oak, MI versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Royal Oak, MI $5,497
Phuket $3,115

Living in Royal Oak, MI is roughly 110% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Royal Oak, MI is 101% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.80 $17.80

$4.39 ฿148

305.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 $63.7

$32.31 ฿1,086

97.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.49 $12.49

$8.70 ฿293

43.56%

Cappuccino

$5.69 $5.69

$2.72 ฿91.6

109.19%

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

$2.58 $2.58

$0.93 ฿31.28

177.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.50 ฿16.79

298.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.53 ฿85.1

131.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.99 $7.99

$3.63 ฿122

120.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.74 ฿58.5

-39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.45 ฿48.77

134.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$1.50 ฿50.5

261.33%

Eggs

$3.99 $3.99

$2.17 ฿73.0

83.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$19.09 ฿642

-29.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.28 $11.28

$3.40 ฿114

231.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.78 $16.78

$10.90 ฿366

53.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.94 ฿98.9

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.69 ฿56.9

-8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.19 ฿73.8

91.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.12 ฿71.4

121.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.46 ฿49.03

81.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.37 ฿45.99

132.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.08 ฿36.17

112.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.55 ฿18.34

307.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.43 ฿149

126.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$18.25 ฿614

-17.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.77 ฿59.6

37.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.88 ฿96.8

17.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.45 ฿48.66

75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.2 $71.2

$54.9 ฿1,845

29.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.51 ฿50.9

77.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$0.78 ฿26.08

74.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.82 $23.82

$3.84 ฿129

520.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.49 ฿50.0

-28.86%

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

$33.6K $33.6K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

25.17%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-1.96%

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

$211 $211

$97.8 ฿3,288

116.09%

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

$65.1 $65.1

$11.29 ฿380

476.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$17.19 ฿578

299.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 $11.96

$7.43 ฿250

60.97%

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

$1,031 $1,031

$530 ฿17.8K

94.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

9.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 $59.7

$61.7 ฿2,073

-3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 $38.23

$28.25 ฿950

35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 $96.2

$96.0 ฿3,228

0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$86.8 ฿2,919

34.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 $1,519

$721 ฿24.2K

110.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 $1,398

$509 ฿17.1K

174.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,532 $3,532

$1,950 ฿65.6K

81.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,678 $2,678

$1,397 ฿47.0K

91.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,831 $5,831

$492 ฿16.5K

1086.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Royal Oak, MI: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Royal Oak, MI

$1.4K 51.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 63.6% $889

Groceries & Markets

Royal Oak, MI

$403 14.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 33.8% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Royal Oak, MI

$345 12.7%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 63.4% $219

Eating Out

Royal Oak, MI

$312 11.5%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 61.6% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Royal Oak, MI

$140 5.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 12.2% $17

Getting Around

Royal Oak, MI

$91 3.4%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 27.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Royal Oak, MI

$24 * 0.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 248% $59

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 $1,519 in Royal Oak, MI and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Royal Oak, MI pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Royal Oak, MI vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Royal Oak, MI

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

04:42 4:42 AM

12 h ahead of Royal Oak, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,211

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Royal Oak, MI Phuket 14,410 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Royal Oak, MI
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

Royal Oak, MI vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 52% 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 Royal Oak, MI is about 12 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: $1,519 in Royal Oak, MI versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,031 in Royal Oak, MI versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Royal Oak, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,713 in Royal Oak, MI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Royal Oak, MI. 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.

Safety-wise, Royal Oak, MI and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Royal Oak, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.