Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Iasi and in Phuket: $1,256 and $1,278 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Iasi vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Iasi $1,256
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Iasi vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Iasi $1,841
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,425 per month in Iasi vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Iasi $2,425
Phuket $3,154

Iasi is about 2% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iasi and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Iasi 8% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$4.47 ฿151

134.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$32.41 ฿1,094

30.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.50

$8.81 ฿297

-18.50%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$2.83 ฿95.5

4.24%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$0.87 ฿29.43

162.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.55

$0.49 ฿16.67

263.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$2.56 ฿86.4

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.45

$3.68 ฿124

4.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.66 ฿56.0

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$1.46 ฿49.35

-10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.50 ฿50.6

31.33%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$2.09 ฿70.5

55.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.59

$19.07 ฿644

-56.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.67

$3.30 ฿111

99.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.39

$10.91 ฿368

-7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$2.93 ฿99.0

-55.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.78

$1.69 ฿57.1

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$2.25 ฿75.8

-25.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$2.08 ฿70.1

1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$1.51 ฿51.0

-43.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$1.38 ฿46.56

-40.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$1.07 ฿35.99

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$0.52 ฿17.52

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.39

$4.20 ฿142

45.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.93

$18.79 ฿634

-64.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.82 ฿61.5

-26.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$2.84 ฿95.9

-25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.10

$1.45 ฿49.03

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$56.7 ฿1,913

-51.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.86

$3.02 ฿102

-73.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$1.02 ฿34.36

-14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.11

$3.69 ฿125

120.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.25

$1.47 ฿49.81

30.61%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

6.77%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-3.17%

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

$181 RON 871

$96.4 ฿3,254

87.98%

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

$7.28 RON 35.02

$11.26 ฿380

-35.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.42

$16.85 ฿569

-51.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$67.2 ฿2,270

-34.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$10.73 ฿362

48.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.25

$7.50 ฿253

14.40%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$476 ฿16.1K

-19.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-38.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$62.4 ฿2,106

18.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$28.41 ฿959

34.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$94.3 ฿3,184

-2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$85.8 ฿2,898

3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,608

$716 ฿24.2K

-24.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$491 ฿16.6K

-11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,021

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,101

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-54.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-33.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,169

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-37.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,431

$502 ฿17.0K

124.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

5.57

28.90%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 12.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.7% $72

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.5% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 34.6% $21

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 95.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Iasi versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Iasi are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Iasi versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Iasi vs $266 in Phuket – so Iasi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

01:03 1:03 AM

5 h ahead of Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

79,308

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iasi Phuket 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
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

Iasi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Iasi, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Iasi and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $542 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $385 per month in Iasi and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,256 in Iasi and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,256 in Iasi to $1,278 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.