Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,329 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $610 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brasov outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Brasov

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 Brasov actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,329 in Brasov.

Phuket $1,278
Brasov $1,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,100 in Brasov.

Phuket $2,216
Brasov $2,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,872 in Brasov.

Phuket $3,154
Brasov $2,872

Living in Phuket costs roughly 4% less than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Brasov 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.18 RON 53.4

-60.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$51.6 RON 247

-37.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.52 RON 35.96

17.15%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.56 RON 17.02

-20.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.47 RON 11.79

-64.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.24 RON 10.71

-78.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.10 RON 14.84

-17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.43 RON 16.39

7.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.58 RON 7.53

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.37 RON 6.57

6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.74 RON 8.34

-13.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.56 RON 17.02

-41.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.89 RON 42.46

114.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.71 RON 32.08

-50.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.46 RON 59.5

-12.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.52 RON 7.29

92.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.56 RON 7.46

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.58 RON 7.57

42.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.59 RON 12.37

-19.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.78 RON 3.71

93.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.86 RON 4.10

60.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.91 RON 4.36

17.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.77 RON 3.66

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.03 RON 28.81

-30.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.29 RON 34.84

157.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.18 RON 5.65

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.87 RON 8.91

51.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.02 RON 4.88

42.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$23.18 RON 111

144.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.64 RON 3.04

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.67 RON 3.22

52.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.65 RON 31.76

-44.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.93 RON 9.21

-23.83%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$28.1K RON 134.5K

-4.84%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$24.9K RON 119.1K

7.06%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$179 RON 856

-46.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.57 RON 36.18

48.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$9.32 RON 44.55

80.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$55.5 RON 265

21.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.39 RON 64.0

-19.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.42 RON 45.03

-20.38%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$434 RON 2,076

9.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$6,793 RON 32.5K

65.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$52.2 RON 249

19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$35.26 RON 168

-19.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$75.5 RON 361

24.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$89.8 RON 429

-4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$684 RON 3,266

4.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$492 RON 2,350

-0.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,247 RON 5,957

54.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,010 RON 4,826

41.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,153 RON 15.1K

32.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,361 RON 11.3K

28.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,096 RON 5,239

-54.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Brasov

$492 37% 0.2% $0.8

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Brasov

$226 17% 15.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Brasov

$196 14.8% 57.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Brasov

$114 8.6% 6.7% $8.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Brasov

$196 14.8% 61% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Brasov

$74 5.6% 9.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Brasov

$31 2.4% 55.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $684 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasov pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $52 in Brasov. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $226, with Brasov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

15:52 3:52 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

253,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Brasov 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Brasov

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 Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,329 in Brasov, so Phuket is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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 $684 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $52 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,329 in Brasov – Phuket is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Brasov on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.