Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cahul and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $627 in Cahul versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cahul $627
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $917 in Cahul versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cahul $917
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,207 in Cahul versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cahul $1,207
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cahul costs roughly 51% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cahul 54% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.19 MDL 146

$4.47 ฿151

83.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.41 MDL 417

$32.41 ฿1,092

-27.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 MDL 185

$8.81 ฿297

17.59%

Cappuccino

$1.69 MDL 30.11

$2.83 ฿95.3

-40.28%

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

$1.11 MDL 19.82

$0.87 ฿29.37

27.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MDL 9.53

$0.49 ฿16.64

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 MDL 35.81

$2.56 ฿86.2

-21.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 MDL 31.45

$3.68 ฿124

-52.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MDL 21.36

$1.66 ฿55.9

-27.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 MDL 8.72

$1.46 ฿49.25

-66.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MDL 28.45

$1.50 ฿50.4

6.67%

Eggs

$2.24 MDL 39.89

$2.09 ฿70.4

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.51 MDL 116

$19.07 ฿642

-65.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.54 MDL 80.9

$3.30 ฿111

37.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.17 MDL 110

$10.91 ฿368

-43.45%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 MDL 17.39

$2.93 ฿98.7

-66.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 MDL 39.09

$1.69 ฿56.9

29.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 MDL 32.25

$2.25 ฿75.7

-19.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 MDL 42.33

$2.08 ฿70.0

13.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 MDL 13.54

$1.51 ฿50.9

-49.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MDL 9.22

$1.38 ฿46.47

-62.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 MDL 7.74

$1.07 ฿35.91

-59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MDL 9.50

$0.52 ฿17.49

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 MDL 60.5

$4.20 ฿142

-19.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 MDL 78.1

$18.79 ฿633

-76.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 MDL 25.19

$1.82 ฿61.4

-22.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 MDL 35.06

$2.84 ฿95.7

-30.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MDL 4.81

$1.45 ฿48.93

-81.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 MDL 51.1

$3.02 ฿102

-4.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 MDL 4.27

$1.02 ฿34.29

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 MDL 97.0

$3.69 ฿124

47.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MDL 27.74

$1.47 ฿49.70

6.12%

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

$33.3K MDL 593.4K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

24.30%

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

$24.4K MDL 435.5K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-8.49%

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

$221 MDL 3,948

$96.4 ฿3,247

129.83%

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

$7.65 MDL 136

$11.26 ฿380

-32.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.03 MDL 197

$16.85 ฿568

-34.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 MDL 136

$7.50 ฿253

1.60%

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

$110 MDL 1,964

$476 ฿16.0K

-76.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,249 MDL 93.6K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-53.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.08 MDL 804

$62.4 ฿2,102

-27.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 MDL 1,005

$94.3 ฿3,178

-40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.0 MDL 909

$85.8 ฿2,892

-40.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 MDL 9,048

$502 ฿16.9K

1.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.63%

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

Last update for Cahul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cahul

$240 38.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 48.2% $116

Groceries & Markets

Cahul

$161 25.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 65.1% $105

Eating Out

Cahul

$137 21.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cahul

$69 * 10.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 77.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cahul

$15 * 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 440% $67

Getting Around

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1273% $65

Accommodation & Living

Cahul

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $23 in Cahul vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $266 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cahul

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

5 h ahead of Cahul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cahul Phuket 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cahul
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

Cahul vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $941 in Cahul and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $627 per month in Cahul versus $1,278 in Phuket – Cahul is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul 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.