Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Drobeta-Turnu Severin

For one person, living is cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin: $885 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
🇷🇴 Romania
$885
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,483 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin $1,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,081 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin $2,081

Living in Phuket is roughly 46% more expensive than in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Drobeta-Turnu Severin 35% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$8.34 RON 39.64
-47.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,085
$41.68 RON 198
-22.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿292
$7.24 RON 34.41
20.17%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.5
$3.20 RON 15.20
-15.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.25
$2.09 RON 9.95
-55.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.78
$1.80 RON 8.55
-72.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.0
$3.07 RON 14.59
-17.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$3.92 RON 18.62
-7.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.4
$1.37 RON 6.52
27.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.73
$1.11 RON 5.28
30.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.38 RON 6.56
8.70%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$3.47 RON 16.52
-37.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿641
$7.98 RON 37.92
139.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$5.80 RON 27.57
-41.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$7.80 RON 37.09
39.74%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.8
$1.19 RON 5.65
147.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.8
$1.56 RON 7.43
8.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.7
$1.48 RON 7.04
47.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$2.53 RON 12.04
-16.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.99
$0.71 RON 3.38
105.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.95
$0.61 RON 2.88
124.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.14
$1.04 RON 4.93
3.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.32
$0.87 RON 4.15
-36.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$6.02 RON 28.61
-26.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿613
$7.16 RON 34.02
154.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.5
$0.91 RON 4.35
94.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$1.38 RON 6.56
108.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.62
$0.63 RON 2.97
130.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,844
$22.28 RON 106
146.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.8
$0.89 RON 4.25
69.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.06
$0.87 RON 4.16
-10.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$9.31 RON 44.23
-58.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.96
$1.88 RON 8.92
-20.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿902.9K
$28.6K RON 135.9K
-6.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿884.9K
$25.3K RON 120.2K
4.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,285
$116 RON 551
-15.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿379
$8.90 RON 42.31
26.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿577
$12.27 RON 58.3
40.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,295
$32.17 RON 153
112.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
$21.19 RON 101
-48.47%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$6.66 RON 31.64
11.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$435 RON 2,068
21.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿630.9K
$10.2K RON 48.7K
83.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,072
$101 RON 479
-38.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿949
$38.50 RON 183
-26.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,225
$86.8 RON 413
10.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,916
$89.8 RON 427
-3.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$385 RON 1,830
87.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$170 RON 808
199.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.5K
$603 RON 2,864
223.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.9K
$458 RON 2,179
204.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.8K
$1,630 RON 7,747
157.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.8K
$1,544 RON 7,337
113.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
$914 RON 4,343
-46.20%
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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$170 66.6% $339
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$194 27.3% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$137 8.6% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$142 15.8% $19
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$166 38.5% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$45 45.3% $38
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$30 54.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $194, with Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇷🇴 Drobeta-Turnu Severin
🕒 Local time
10:25 10:25 AM
05:25 5:25 AM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
92,617
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Drobeta-Turnu Severin 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper than Phuket?
Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Drobeta-Turnu Severin runs roughly 59% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $435 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
At $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Drobeta-Turnu Severin but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Drobeta-Turnu Severin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Drobeta-Turnu Severin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?