Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dubasari

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubasari: $644 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Dubasari
Learn more

Dubasari Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dubasari

🇲🇩 Moldova

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dubasari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $644 in Dubasari.

Phuket $1,278
Dubasari $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $953 in Dubasari.

Phuket $2,216
Dubasari $953

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,263 in Dubasari.

Phuket $3,154
Dubasari $1,263

Living in Phuket is roughly 99% more expensive than in Dubasari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Dubasari 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.35 MDL 149

-46.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$28.85 MDL 515

12.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.54 MDL 188

-16.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.71 MDL 30.61

65.50%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.06 MDL 18.96

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.65 MDL 11.68

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.93 MDL 34.43

32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.19 MDL 39.05

68.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.21 MDL 21.70

37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.45 MDL 8.03

224.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.53 MDL 27.25

-1.96%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.15 MDL 38.37

-2.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.77 MDL 121

181.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.54 MDL 81.1

-27.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.24 MDL 111

74.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$0.98 MDL 17.55

198.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.24 MDL 40.05

-24.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.88 MDL 33.60

19.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.35 MDL 41.98

-11.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.77 MDL 13.72

96.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$0.52 MDL 9.31

165.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.46 MDL 8.24

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.54 MDL 9.59

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.36 MDL 59.9

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.38 MDL 78.3

329.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.38 MDL 24.63

31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.92 MDL 34.28

47.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.71 MDL 48.45

11.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.26 MDL 4.67

292.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$5.46 MDL 97.5

-32.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.55 MDL 27.59

-5.16%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$33.4K MDL 597.3K

-19.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$24.3K MDL 433.5K

9.96%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$225 MDL 4,023

-57.22%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.76 MDL 139

45.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.09 MDL 198

51.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$11.13 MDL 199

504.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.31 MDL 131

2.60%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$113 MDL 2,016

321.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$5,238 MDL 93.5K

115.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$44.36 MDL 792

40.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$56.6 MDL 1,011

66.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$50.3 MDL 898

70.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dubasari: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dubasari

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dubasari

$162 25.2% 39.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dubasari

$244 37.9% 96.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dubasari

$68 * 10.6% 44.1% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dubasari

$140 21.7% 14.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dubasari

$26 4% 68.7% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dubasari

$4 * 0.6% 94.3% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $29 in Dubasari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $162 per month, with Dubasari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇩 Dubasari

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

00:38 12:38 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

23,254

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 17.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.6 USD). 1 EUR = 20.02 MDL (100 MDL = 5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dubasari 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dubasari

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 Dubasari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubasari is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $965 in Dubasari to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $644 in Dubasari – Dubasari is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $644 in Dubasari versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dubasari but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dubasari the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Dubasari are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.