Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $979 in Buzau.

Phuket $1,207
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,449 in Buzau.

Phuket $2,037
Buzau $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,919 in Buzau.

Phuket $2,867
Buzau $1,919

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Buzau 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$10.42 RON 49.30

-56.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$24.71 RON 117

31.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$6.30 RON 29.79

35.71%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.02 RON 9.58

34.65%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.93 RON 9.12

-51.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.50 RON 7.08

-67.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.66 RON 7.85

56.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.71 RON 8.10

123.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.76 RON 8.32

-1.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.31 RON 6.21

9.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.45 RON 6.84

5.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.10 RON 14.67

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$7.50 RON 35.47

155.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.62 RON 31.33

-50.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.10 RON 52.5

0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$0.95 RON 4.50

210.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.63 RON 7.72

3.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.11 RON 5.25

107.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.23 RON 5.83

73.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.67 RON 3.18

128.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.78 RON 3.68

74.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.48 RON 2.28

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.66 RON 3.11

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.24 RON 29.54

-31.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.43 RON 30.42

182.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.76 RON 3.58

128.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.43 RON 6.77

95.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.66 RON 3.10

236.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$21.60 RON 102

2.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.52 RON 2.47

459.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.49 RON 2.32

106.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.19 RON 29.27

-38.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.65 RON 7.81

-9.70%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.4K RON 91.7K

37.62%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$21.1K RON 100.0K

26.36%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$119 RON 563

-16.43%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$7.87 RON 37.24

43.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$7.72 RON 36.53

124.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$32.03 RON 152

63.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$17.85 RON 84.5

-39.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.89 RON 32.60

9.87%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$285 RON 1,348

95.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$6,766 RON 32.0K

69.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$54.5 RON 258

15.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$57.7 RON 273

-50.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$97.5 RON 461

-1.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$84.1 RON 398

4.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$344 RON 1,629

111.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$292 RON 1,379

57.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$606 RON 2,867

245.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$423 RON 2,002

188.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,475 RON 6,976

134.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,194 RON 5,648

108.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$850 RON 4,021

-41.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.97

-20.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 36.6% $168

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Buzau

$196 20% 26.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Buzau

$134 13.7% 5.1% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Buzau

$132 13.5% 6.6% $8.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 25.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 32.1% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 30.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $344 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buzau pays 72% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $25.00 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $196 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

115,494

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Buzau 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Buzau differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $979 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Buzau. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $344 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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, Phuket and Buzau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.