Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $975 per month in Barlad vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Barlad $975
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Barlad vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Barlad $1,521
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Barlad vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Barlad $2,066
Phuket $2,845

Barlad is about 19% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barlad and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Barlad 28% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 RON 42.41

$4.40 ฿147

103.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 196

$32.26 ฿1,078

28.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$8.76 ฿293

-17.81%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.40

$2.83 ฿94.5

-14.84%

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

$1.85 RON 8.75

$0.90 ฿30.14

105.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RON 7.27

$0.47 ฿15.56

227.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.25

$2.55 ฿85.2

-14.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.72

$3.83 ฿128

-29.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.73 ฿57.7

-22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$1.47 ฿49.11

-23.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$1.51 ฿50.6

-7.28%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.02

$2.17 ฿72.7

56.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.53

$19.70 ฿658

-61.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$3.34 ฿112

56.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 RON 47.49

$11.16 ฿373

-10.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$2.85 ฿95.1

-63.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.70 ฿56.9

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$2.19 ฿73.3

-36.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$2.05 ฿68.4

-14.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.45 ฿48.57

-45.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$1.38 ฿46.16

-44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$1.07 ฿35.69

-21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$0.51 ฿16.91

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 RON 31.41

$4.26 ฿142

55.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 RON 26.38

$18.58 ฿621

-69.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.78 ฿59.7

-32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.85 ฿95.2

-43.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 RON 2.40

$2.26 ฿75.6

-77.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 RON 94.0

$22.10 ฿738

-10.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$3.01 ฿101

-76.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 RON 3.46

$1.06 ฿35.34

-31.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 RON 33.08

$3.86 ฿129

81.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.45 ฿48.45

20.69%

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

$26.5K RON 125.3K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

0.63%

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

$25.1K RON 118.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-6.91%

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

$158 RON 748

$96.4 ฿3,221

64.01%

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

$8.87 RON 41.95

$11.04 ฿369

-19.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.36 RON 39.58

$17.14 ฿573

-51.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.02 RON 161

$52.2 ฿1,744

-34.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 RON 85.4

$11.16 ฿373

61.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 RON 31.28

$7.81 ฿261

-15.36%

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

$465 RON 2,202

$556 ฿18.6K

-16.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,715 RON 36.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-33.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 RON 293

$64.2 ฿2,146

-3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 RON 165

$28.69 ฿959

21.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 RON 344

$95.4 ฿3,187

-23.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 RON 408

$88.0 ฿2,940

-2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 RON 1,927

$737 ฿24.6K

-44.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 RON 1,271

$462 ฿15.5K

-41.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 RON 3,081

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-68.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 RON 2,387

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-57.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 RON 8,305

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-49.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 RON 5,976

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-49.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

5.57

25.13%

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

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$269 27.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 72.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$190 19.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 41.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$175 18%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 28.9% $51

Eating Out

Barlad

$152 15.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 20.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$115 11.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 8% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$47 4.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 43.5% $21

Getting Around

Barlad

$26 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 50.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Barlad versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Barlad versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Barlad vs $269 in Phuket – so Barlad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

4 h ahead of Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

79,308

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barlad Phuket 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barlad
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

Barlad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $975 in Barlad, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Barlad and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barlad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Barlad and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barlad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.