Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buzias

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzias: $974 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Buzias
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Buzias Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Buzias

🇷🇴 Romania

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buzias

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $974 in Buzias, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Buzias $974

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,553 in Buzias, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Buzias $1,553

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,131 in Buzias, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Buzias $2,131

Phuket costs about 33% more than Buzias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Buzias are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Buzias 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$8.19 RON 38.91

-46.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$42.63 RON 203

-24.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.42 RON 35.29

17.25%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.10 RON 14.73

-12.26%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.04 RON 9.68

-54.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.74 RON 8.25

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$3.20 RON 15.21

-20.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.90 RON 18.52

-6.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.38 RON 6.56

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.16 RON 5.52

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.40 RON 6.65

7.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.37 RON 16.01

-35.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$8.01 RON 38.06

138.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.95 RON 28.27

-42.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.03 RON 38.16

35.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.20 RON 5.71

145.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.50 RON 7.13

12.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.43 RON 6.80

53.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.51 RON 11.91

-15.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$0.70 RON 3.33

108.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.62 RON 2.92

120.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.03 RON 4.91

4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.91 RON 4.35

-39.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.96 RON 28.34

-25.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.20 RON 34.23

153.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$0.92 RON 4.36

92.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.38 RON 6.55

108.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.65 RON 3.11

123.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$25.15 RON 120

118.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.98 RON 4.63

54.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.85 RON 4.03

-8.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$9.70 RON 46.09

-60.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.98 RON 9.39

-24.75%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$28.1K RON 133.5K

-4.28%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$25.8K RON 122.7K

2.06%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$113 RON 536

-13.21%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$9.21 RON 43.80

22.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$12.28 RON 58.4

39.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$34.25 RON 163

99.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$20.52 RON 97.5

-46.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.72 RON 31.96

10.57%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$447 RON 2,124

18.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$10.3K RON 48.7K

83.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$99.3 RON 472

-37.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$38.49 RON 183

-26.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$87.6 RON 416

9.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$89.1 RON 423

-2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$416 RON 1,975

73.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$258 RON 1,226

97.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$651 RON 3,093

199.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$499 RON 2,374

179.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,636 RON 7,775

156.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,222 RON 5,806

170.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.02

-20.66%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Buzias: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Buzias

$258 26.5% 49.3% $251

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Buzias

$196 20.1% 26.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Buzias

$134 13.8% 6.3% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Buzias

$142 14.5% 15.3% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Buzias

$164 16.8% 37% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Buzias

$48 4.9% 42.7% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Buzias

$33 3.4% 50.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $416 in Buzias. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $43 in Buzias. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $196 in Buzias – so Buzias wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Buzias

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Buzias 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buzias

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 Buzias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,461 in Buzias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buzias, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Buzias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $447 in Buzias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Buzias – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.