Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Calafat
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Calafat Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Calafat $1,982

Phuket costs about 27% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Calafat are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Calafat 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.35 RON 34.92

-40.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$38.38 RON 182

-15.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.21 RON 34.23

20.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.14 RON 10.14

27.10%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.44 RON 6.82

-35.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.87 RON 4.11

-42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.08 RON 5.11

134.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.83 RON 8.71

98.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.12 RON 5.30

55.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.76 RON 3.63

90.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.35 RON 6.39

11.11%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.33 RON 11.06

-6.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$6.69 RON 31.78

185.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.35 RON 30.13

-46.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$6.24 RON 29.61

74.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.01 RON 4.80

191.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.49 RON 7.07

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.28 RON 6.06

71.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.44 RON 6.84

47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$0.60 RON 2.86

143.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.75 RON 3.56

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.69 RON 3.28

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.71 RON 3.38

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.31 RON 25.19

-16.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.27 RON 29.76

191.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.88 RON 4.16

101.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.45 RON 6.90

98.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.75 RON 3.55

93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$22.34 RON 106

145.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.53 RON 2.53

184.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.51 RON 2.42

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$9.77 RON 46.39

-60.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.51 RON 7.15

-1.32%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$25.5K RON 120.9K

5.57%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$25.5K RON 121.1K

3.29%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$214 RON 1,017

-54.35%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$7.55 RON 35.87

49.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$6.33 RON 30.04

171.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$37.82 RON 180

80.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$19.06 RON 90.5

-42.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.40 RON 35.13

0.41%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$412 RON 1,958

28.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$8,151 RON 38.7K

130.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$63.5 RON 302

-2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$42.04 RON 200

-32.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$84.2 RON 400

14.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$83.5 RON 396

4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$380 RON 1,805

89.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$294 RON 1,398

72.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$617 RON 2,928

216.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$468 RON 2,220

198.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$1,910 RON 9,070

119.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,190 RON 5,652

177.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$812 RON 3,856

-39.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Calafat

$294 29% 42.2% $215

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Calafat

$165 16.2% 38.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Calafat

$228 22.5% 80.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Calafat

$123 12.1% 0.2% $0.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Calafat

$124 12.3% 4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Calafat

$53 5.2% 36.7% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Calafat

$28 2.8% 57% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $380 in Calafat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 65% higher in Calafat, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $38 in Calafat. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $165 in Calafat – so Calafat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

18,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Calafat 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 21% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,016 in Calafat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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