Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugoj and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $769 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
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Lugoj Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$769

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $769 in Lugoj versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Lugoj $769
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,201 in Lugoj versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Lugoj $1,201
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,633 in Lugoj versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Lugoj $1,633
Phuket $3,115

Living in Lugoj costs roughly 41% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lugoj 43% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 RON 43.61

$4.39 ฿147

109.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.57 RON 160

$32.31 ฿1,085

3.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 RON 24.60

$8.70 ฿292

-40.57%

Cappuccino

$1.75 RON 8.30

$2.72 ฿91.5

-35.66%

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

$1.54 RON 7.31

$0.93 ฿31.25

65.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RON 7.17

$0.50 ฿16.78

202.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 RON 9.75

$2.53 ฿85.0

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 RON 9.24

$3.63 ฿122

-46.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.61

$1.74 ฿58.4

-8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 RON 4.62

$1.45 ฿48.73

-33.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$1.50 ฿50.5

-56.67%

Eggs

$1.28 RON 6.07

$2.17 ฿73.0

-41.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 RON 15.99

$19.09 ฿641

-82.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 RON 18.47

$3.40 ฿114

14.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.23 RON 20.09

$10.90 ฿366

-61.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$2.94 ฿98.8

-65.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 RON 5.89

$1.69 ฿56.8

-26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$2.19 ฿73.7

-24.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$2.12 ฿71.4

-70.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$1.46 ฿48.99

-54.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$1.37 ฿45.95

-51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$1.08 ฿36.14

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.90

$0.55 ฿18.32

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 RON 23.04

$4.43 ฿149

9.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.31 RON 20.48

$18.25 ฿613

-76.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.70

$1.77 ฿59.5

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 RON 8.19

$2.88 ฿96.8

-40.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.45 ฿48.62

-58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.22 RON 101

$54.9 ฿1,844

-61.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.51 ฿50.8

-41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$0.78 ฿26.06

11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 RON 39.66

$3.84 ฿129

117.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RON 9.08

$1.49 ฿49.96

28.19%

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

$28.5K RON 135.5K

$26.9K ฿902.9K

6.01%

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

$24.9K RON 118.3K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

-5.56%

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

$52.6 RON 250

$97.8 ฿3,285

-46.20%

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

$8.27 RON 39.30

$11.29 ฿379

-26.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.56 RON 45.46

$17.19 ฿577

-44.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.04 RON 100

$68.3 ฿2,295

-69.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 119

$10.92 ฿367

129.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 RON 45.07

$7.43 ฿250

27.59%

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

$584 RON 2,776

$530 ฿17.8K

10.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RON 59.1K

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-33.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 421

$61.7 ฿2,072

43.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.68 RON 208

$28.25 ฿949

54.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 RON 462

$96.0 ฿3,225

1.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 RON 502

$86.8 ฿2,916

21.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$182 RON 867

$721 ฿24.2K

-74.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 RON 1,009

$509 ฿17.1K

-58.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 RON 1,482

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-84.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 RON 1,494

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-77.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,320 RON 6,272

$4,192 ฿140.8K

-68.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,057 RON 5,022

$3,298 ฿110.8K

-67.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,368

$492 ฿16.5K

86.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.57

19.39%

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

Last update for Lugoj: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lugoj

$212 27.6%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 140% $297

Clothing & Footwear

Lugoj

$151 19.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 18.6% $28

Eating Out

Lugoj

$136 17.7%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 12.2% $17

Groceries & Markets

Lugoj

$130 16.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 105% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugoj

$70 9.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 79.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lugoj

$40 5.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 108% $43

Getting Around

Lugoj

$29 3.8%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 129% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $182 in Lugoj and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lugoj pays 87% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Lugoj vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $130 vs $267, with Lugoj cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

5 h ahead of Lugoj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,742

79,308

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lugoj Phuket 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lugoj
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

Lugoj vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $769 in Lugoj and $1,294 in Phuket, so Lugoj is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Lugoj, 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: $182 in Lugoj versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $769 per month in Lugoj versus $1,294 in Phuket – Lugoj is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Lugoj runs roughly 61% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $769 in Lugoj versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lugoj but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lugoj 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, Lugoj and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.