Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Buzau $979
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Buzau $1,449
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Buzau $1,919
Phuket $2,867

Living in Buzau costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Buzau 27% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$4.58 ฿153

127.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$32.48 ฿1,086

-23.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$8.55 ฿286

-26.32%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$2.72 ฿91.0

-25.74%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$0.94 ฿31.25

105.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$0.49 ฿16.39

206.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$2.59 ฿86.6

-35.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$3.83 ฿128

-55.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$1.74 ฿58.1

1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.43 ฿47.82

-8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$1.53 ฿51.0

-5.23%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$2.17 ฿72.7

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$19.15 ฿640

-60.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$3.30 ฿110

100.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$11.14 ฿372

-0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$2.95 ฿98.5

-67.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.68 ฿56.1

-2.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$2.30 ฿76.8

-51.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$2.13 ฿71.3

-42.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$1.53 ฿51.1

-56.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$1.36 ฿45.55

-42.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$1.12 ฿37.44

-57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.55 ฿18.24

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$4.26 ฿142

46.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$18.19 ฿608

-64.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.74 ฿58.2

-56.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$2.79 ฿93.3

-48.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$2.22 ฿74.1

-70.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$22.06 ฿737

-2.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$2.91 ฿97.3

-82.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$1.01 ฿33.79

-51.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$3.83 ฿128

61.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$1.49 ฿49.85

10.74%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-27.33%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-20.86%

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

$119 RON 563

$99.4 ฿3,321

19.65%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$11.28 ฿377

-30.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$17.36 ฿580

-55.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$52.3 ฿1,747

-38.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$10.85 ฿362

64.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$7.57 ฿253

-8.98%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$558 ฿18.7K

-48.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-41.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$62.9 ฿2,102

-13.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$28.58 ฿955

101.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$96.1 ฿3,213

1.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$88.1 ฿2,943

-4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$729 ฿24.4K

-52.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$460 ฿15.4K

-36.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-65.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-57.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-52.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$493 ฿16.5K

72.38%

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 Buzau: 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

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 57.8% $168

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 36.6% $72

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 20.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 4.8% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.2% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 47.2% $22

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 43% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Buzau and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buzau pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Buzau vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $268 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

4 h ahead of Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

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 18, 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 18, 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

Buzau Phuket 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buzau
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

Buzau vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buzau and Phuket differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($979 vs $1,207 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 72% higher in Buzau, 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: $344 in Buzau versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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, Buzau 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 Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.