Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Deva

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $862 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Deva
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Deva Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Deva

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $862 in Deva, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Deva $862

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,338 in Deva, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Deva $1,338

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,814 in Deva, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Deva $1,814

Phuket costs about 40% more than Deva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Deva are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Deva 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$6.81 RON 32.20

-35.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.08 RON 99.7

53.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.28 RON 34.46

20.33%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.71 RON 8.10

65.50%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.09 RON 9.89

-56.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.20 RON 5.68

-60.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.29 RON 6.13

97.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.09 RON 9.90

83.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.56 RON 7.39

10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.27 RON 6.03

15.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.10 RON 5.21

37.27%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.18 RON 15.03

-31.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.80 RON 36.91

152.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.29 RON 25.05

-36.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.12 RON 38.42

37.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.37 RON 6.49

108.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.38 RON 6.52

23.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.53 RON 7.23

43.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.12 RON 10.05

-3.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.71 RON 3.37

104.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.96 RON 4.54

43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.85 RON 4.04

25.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.86 RON 4.05

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.34 RON 25.26

-20.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.39 RON 34.98

151.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.07 RON 5.06

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.75 RON 8.28

62.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.57 RON 2.67

296.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$32.18 RON 152

-31.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.79 RON 3.74

281.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.66 RON 3.12

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.58 RON 40.59

-55.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.62 RON 7.68

-10.49%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$28.8K RON 136.1K

-8.47%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.7K RON 116.8K

9.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$133 RON 631

-27.78%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.71 RON 41.23

26.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$9.54 RON 45.15

79.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$39.18 RON 185

33.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$53.0 RON 251

-78.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.28 RON 29.70

24.36%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$577 RON 2,731

-3.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$9,789 RON 46.3K

18.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$69.0 RON 326

-6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$44.86 RON 212

-36.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$84.9 RON 402

12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$74.1 RON 351

18.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$237 RON 1,122

210.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$184 RON 871

151.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$400 RON 1,892

423.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$353 RON 1,672

239.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,841 RON 22.9K

-27.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,476 RON 16.4K

-27.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,154 RON 5,458

-56.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.65

-16.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Deva: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Deva

$184 21.3% 60.2% $278

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Deva

$193 22.4% 28.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Deva

$152 17.6% 21.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Deva

$123 14.2% 1.2% $1.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Deva

$121 14% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Deva

$52 6% 23.7% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Deva

$39 4.5% 2.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $237 in Deva. 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 130% higher in Deva, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $21.00 in Deva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $193 – making Deva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Deva

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

61,123

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Deva 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Deva

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 Deva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $862 in Deva – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,294 in Deva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Deva, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $21.00 in Deva. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Deva, where all-in costs run around $862, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Deva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $862 in Deva to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Deva. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.