Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cugir

For one person, living is cheaper in Cugir: $866 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Cugir
Learn more

Cugir Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Cugir

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cugir

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $866 in Cugir, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Cugir $866

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,273 in Cugir, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Cugir $1,273

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,680 in Cugir, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Cugir $1,680

Phuket costs about 49% more than Cugir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Cugir are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Cugir 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$5.71 RON 27.20

-23.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$21.29 RON 101

51.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.28 RON 34.71

19.51%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.50 RON 7.15

81.33%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.37 RON 6.52

-32.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.16 RON 5.53

-56.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.43 RON 6.83

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.13 RON 10.16

70.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.25 RON 5.96

39.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.19 RON 5.69

21.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.77 RON 8.44

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.66 RON 12.67

-18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$7.30 RON 34.78

161.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.69 RON 22.34

-27.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.39 RON 49.54

4.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.67 RON 7.94

76.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.77 RON 8.46

-4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.72 RON 8.18

27.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.40 RON 6.66

51.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$0.80 RON 3.79

82.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.87 RON 4.13

57.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$1.20 RON 5.72

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.81 RON 3.87

-32.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.22 RON 24.86

-15.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$5.75 RON 27.43

217.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.23 RON 5.88

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.74 RON 8.30

65.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.71 RON 3.40

104.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$21.52 RON 103

155.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.54 RON 2.57

179.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.54 RON 2.58

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$5.26 RON 25.09

-27.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.37 RON 6.53

8.76%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$28.2K RON 134.2K

-4.56%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$25.2K RON 120.2K

4.44%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$122 RON 582

-19.94%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$8.30 RON 39.58

36.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$7.09 RON 33.78

142.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$32.70 RON 156

108.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$22.90 RON 109

-52.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.28 RON 25.15

40.72%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$156 RON 744

239.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$3,898 RON 18.6K

381.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$31.54 RON 150

95.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$8.46 RON 40.33

233.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$70.1 RON 334

36.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$73.4 RON 350

18.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$420 RON 2,002

71.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$277 RON 1,320

83.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$684 RON 3,258

185.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$422 RON 2,012

230.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,155 RON 10.3K

94.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,188 RON 5,663

177.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$531 RON 2,532

-7.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.35

-24.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cugir: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Cugir

$277 32% 45.6% $232

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Cugir

$191 22.1% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Cugir

$138 15.9% 8.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Cugir

$83 9.5% 32.7% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Cugir

$107 12.4% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Cugir

$43 5% 48% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cugir

$28 3.2% 58.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $420 in Cugir. 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 8% higher in Cugir, 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 $21 in Cugir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $191 – making Cugir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Cugir

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,780

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 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

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Between locations

Phuket Cugir 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cugir

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 Cugir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 49%, 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 $1,299 in Cugir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cugir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $21 in Cugir. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $866 in Cugir. That makes Cugir about 33% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cugir, where all-in costs run around $866, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Cugir it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Cugir is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.