Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasov and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,310 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
Learn more

Brasov Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,310

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,310 in Brasov versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Brasov $1,310
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,115 in Brasov versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Brasov $2,115
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Brasov versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Brasov $2,920
Phuket $2,867

Living in Brasov is roughly 8% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasov 3% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 RON 51.6

$4.58 ฿153

138.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 RON 249

$32.48 ฿1,086

62.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 RON 35.42

$8.55 ฿286

-12.40%

Cappuccino

$3.58 RON 16.93

$2.72 ฿91.0

31.62%

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

$2.42 RON 11.43

$0.94 ฿31.25

157.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RON 10.44

$0.49 ฿16.39

351.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 RON 14.97

$2.59 ฿86.6

22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 RON 15.76

$3.83 ฿128

-13.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 RON 7.21

$1.74 ฿58.1

-12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 RON 6.71

$1.43 ฿47.82

-0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.53 ฿51.0

16.34%

Eggs

$3.60 RON 17.01

$2.17 ฿72.7

65.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 RON 41.39

$19.15 ฿640

-54.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 RON 32.87

$3.30 ฿110

110.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 RON 59.1

$11.14 ฿372

12.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.00

$2.95 ฿98.5

-49.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.30

$1.68 ฿56.1

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$2.30 ฿76.8

-29.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 RON 12.91

$2.13 ฿71.3

28.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$1.53 ฿51.1

-50.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.36 ฿45.55

-33.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$1.12 ฿37.44

-19.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.55 ฿18.24

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 RON 28.23

$4.26 ฿142

40.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.53 RON 35.63

$18.19 ฿608

-58.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.81

$1.74 ฿58.2

-29.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RON 8.57

$2.79 ฿93.3

-35.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$2.22 ฿74.1

-51.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.18 RON 110

$22.06 ฿737

5.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 RON 2.98

$2.91 ฿97.3

-78.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$1.01 ฿33.79

-38.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 RON 31.05

$3.83 ฿128

71.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.49 ฿49.85

28.86%

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

$28.2K RON 133.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

5.61%

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

$26.1K RON 123.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-2.22%

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

$179 RON 849

$99.4 ฿3,321

80.61%

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

$7.73 RON 36.56

$11.28 ฿377

-31.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 RON 41.74

$17.36 ฿580

-49.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 RON 269

$52.3 ฿1,747

8.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 RON 64.4

$10.85 ฿362

25.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 RON 43.19

$7.57 ฿253

20.61%

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

$450 RON 2,131

$558 ฿18.7K

-19.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,955 RON 32.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-39.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 RON 242

$62.9 ฿2,102

-18.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 RON 165

$28.58 ฿955

22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 RON 356

$96.1 ฿3,213

-21.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 RON 424

$88.1 ฿2,943

1.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 RON 3,197

$729 ฿24.4K

-7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,235

$460 ฿15.4K

2.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 RON 6,228

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-37.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 4,980

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-13.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,079 RON 14.6K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-11.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 RON 11.3K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-4.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 RON 5,212

$493 ฿16.5K

123.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.57

29.26%

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

Last update for Brasov: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasov

$472 36.1%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 2.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

Brasov

$228 17.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 17.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasov

$196 15%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 34.7% $68

Eating Out

Brasov

$194 14.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 37.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Brasov

$113 8.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brasov

$75 5.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 10.2% $7.7

Getting Around

Brasov

$31 2.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 24.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Brasov and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasov pays 123% 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: $53.0 in Brasov vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $268, with Brasov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Brasov

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

15:03 3:03 PM

4 h ahead of Brasov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

253,200

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 19, 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 19, 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

Brasov Phuket 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasov
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

Brasov vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasov and Phuket differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,310 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 123% higher in Brasov, 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: $676 in Brasov versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $53.0 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,310 per month in Brasov versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,310 in Brasov, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Brasov. 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, Brasov 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 8% less than in Brasov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.