Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baia Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $935 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
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Baia Mare Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baia Mare

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Baia Mare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $935 in Baia Mare.

Phuket $1,278
Baia Mare $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,452 in Baia Mare.

Phuket $2,216
Baia Mare $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,969 in Baia Mare.

Phuket $3,154
Baia Mare $1,969

Living in Phuket is roughly 37% more expensive than in Baia Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Baia Mare 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ฿151

$12.65 RON 60.3

-64.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.44 ฿1,093

$33.09 RON 158

-1.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.83 ฿297

$8.19 RON 39.06

7.81%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.08 RON 9.91

36.06%

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

$0.88 ฿29.69

$1.81 RON 8.64

-51.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿18.02

$1.39 RON 6.63

-61.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.61 RON 7.67

59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.16 RON 10.28

70.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿56.2

$1.46 RON 6.96

14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.40 RON 6.70

4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.91 RON 9.11

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.7

$2.83 RON 13.50

-25.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 ฿644

$6.15 RON 29.31

210.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.49 RON 35.68

-55.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿368

$10.80 RON 51.5

1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$1.10 RON 5.26

167.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.47 RON 6.99

14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.34 RON 6.38

68.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.75 RON 13.13

-24.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.90 RON 4.30

67.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.19 RON 5.68

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.23 RON 5.88

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.82 RON 3.90

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ฿142

$6.13 RON 29.24

-31.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ฿634

$4.84 RON 23.07

288.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ฿61.7

$1.00 RON 4.75

83.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.61 RON 7.67

77.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.71 RON 3.37

104.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 ฿1,913

$14.43 RON 68.8

293.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.08 RON 5.16

39.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ฿24.40

$1.05 RON 5.01

-31.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$11.07 RON 52.8

-66.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.74 RON 8.31

-14.37%

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

$26.8K ฿904.1K

$28.6K RON 136.2K

-6.10%

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

$26.7K ฿901.2K

$25.2K RON 120.1K

6.13%

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

$96.5 ฿3,253

$106 RON 507

-9.25%

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

$11.28 ฿380

$16.31 RON 77.8

-30.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.88 ฿569

$11.53 RON 55.0

46.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 ฿2,270

$40.97 RON 195

64.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.76 ฿362

$16.25 RON 77.5

-33.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ฿253

$10.04 RON 47.84

-25.20%

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

$536 ฿18.1K

$522 RON 2,488

2.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ฿617.9K

$5,465 RON 26.1K

235.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 ฿2,106

$37.45 RON 179

66.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.45 ฿959

$42.17 RON 201

-32.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ฿3,184

$62.5 RON 298

51.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 ฿2,897

$74.9 RON 357

14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ฿24.2K

$377 RON 1,799

90.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 ฿16.6K

$267 RON 1,273

84.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$603 RON 2,875

220.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 ฿48.3K

$461 RON 2,198

210.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,282 ฿144.3K

$2,190 RON 10.4K

95.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,408 ฿114.8K

$1,479 RON 7,051

130.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿17.0K

$908 RON 4,327

-44.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.48

-25.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Baia Mare

$255 27.3% 48.1% $236

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Baia Mare

$199 21.3% 25.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Baia Mare

$129 13.8% 3.8% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baia Mare

$97 10.4% 20.1% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baia Mare

$175 18.7% 44.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Baia Mare

$57 6.1% 30.2% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Baia Mare

$22 2.3% 69.3% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $368 in Baia Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baia Mare pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $33 in Baia Mare. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $199, with Baia Mare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

12:57 12:57 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

123,738

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Baia Mare 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Baia Mare

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

Phuket vs Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $368 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $520 in Baia Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.