Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Craiova and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,217 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,217

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Craiova versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Craiova $1,217
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,869 in Craiova versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Craiova $1,869
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,520 in Craiova versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Craiova $2,520
Phuket $3,154

Living in Craiova costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Craiova 11% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 RON 34.15

$4.47 ฿151

59.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.37 RON 198

$32.41 ฿1,094

27.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 RON 35.64

$8.81 ฿297

-15.44%

Cappuccino

$2.71 RON 12.98

$2.83 ฿95.4

-4.24%

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

$2.23 RON 10.65

$0.87 ฿29.42

156.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.46

$0.49 ฿16.66

261.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 RON 10.71

$2.56 ฿86.3

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 RON 16.80

$3.68 ฿124

-4.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.09

$1.66 ฿56.0

-23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 RON 3.93

$1.46 ฿49.32

-43.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.77

$1.50 ฿50.5

-5.33%

Eggs

$3.26 RON 15.57

$2.09 ฿70.5

55.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 RON 34.51

$19.07 ฿643

-62.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.47 RON 30.95

$3.30 ฿111

96.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 RON 55.0

$10.91 ฿368

5.32%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.53

$2.93 ฿98.9

-67.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.16

$1.69 ฿57.0

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.94

$2.25 ฿75.8

-35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.62

$2.08 ฿70.1

-13.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.65

$1.51 ฿51.0

-49.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 RON 4.28

$1.38 ฿46.54

-35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 RON 3.51

$1.07 ฿35.97

-31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.67

$0.52 ฿17.51

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 RON 31.51

$4.20 ฿142

56.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 RON 30.33

$18.79 ฿634

-66.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.76

$1.82 ฿61.5

-34.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 RON 7.00

$2.84 ฿95.9

-48.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 RON 4.20

$1.45 ฿49.00

-39.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.16 RON 120

$56.7 ฿1,912

-55.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$3.02 ฿102

-79.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$1.02 ฿34.34

-36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 RON 30.49

$3.69 ฿125

72.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RON 9.11

$1.47 ฿49.78

29.25%

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

$28.9K RON 138.1K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

7.83%

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

$25.8K RON 123.6K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-3.20%

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

$216 RON 1,036

$96.4 ฿3,252

124.66%

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

$9.24 RON 44.23

$11.26 ฿380

-17.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.57 RON 55.4

$16.85 ฿569

-31.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.59 RON 185

$67.2 ฿2,269

-42.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.52 RON 103

$10.73 ฿362

100.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 RON 34.81

$7.50 ฿253

-2.93%

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

$411 RON 1,964

$476 ฿16.1K

-13.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,047 RON 38.5K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-28.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 RON 301

$62.4 ฿2,105

0.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 RON 242

$28.41 ฿959

78.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 RON 396

$94.3 ฿3,182

-12.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 RON 495

$85.8 ฿2,896

20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 RON 2,544

$716 ฿24.2K

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 RON 2,002

$491 ฿16.6K

-14.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 RON 4,352

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-52.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 RON 3,966

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-42.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 RON 12.9K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-35.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,988 RON 9,509

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-34.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 RON 4,374

$502 ฿17.0K

82.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

5.57

22.80%

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

Last update for Craiova: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Craiova

$418 34.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 17.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Craiova

$237 19.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 47.5% $113

Groceries & Markets

Craiova

$194 16%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 36.9% $72

Eating Out

Craiova

$146 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Craiova

$135 11.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Craiova

$53 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 54.7% $29

Getting Around

Craiova

$33 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 117% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $532 in Craiova and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Craiova pays 82% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41 in Craiova vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $194 vs $266, with Craiova cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Craiova

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

5 h ahead of Craiova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,506

79,308

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Craiova Phuket 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Craiova
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

Craiova vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Craiova wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Craiova the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 82% higher in Craiova, 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: $532 in Craiova versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,217 per month in Craiova versus $1,278 in Phuket – Craiova is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Craiova runs roughly 56% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Craiova is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Craiova and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.