Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Galati

For one person, living is cheaper in Galati: $1,190 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Galati
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Galati Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Galati

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Galati

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,190 in Galati, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Galati $1,190

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,683 in Galati, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Galati $1,683

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,176 in Galati, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Galati $2,176

Phuket costs about 7% more than Galati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Galati are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Galati 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.62 RON 50.6

-57.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$41.85 RON 199

-22.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.37 RON 35.10

19.54%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.52 RON 12.00

12.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.10 RON 10.02

-58.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.86 RON 8.87

-73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.06 RON 9.83

24.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.18 RON 15.14

15.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.19 RON 5.67

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.70 RON 3.32

108.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.77 RON 8.43

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.40 RON 16.22

-38.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.49 RON 35.68

154.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.91 RON 28.15

-44.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.54 RON 40.68

27.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$1.29 RON 6.12

127.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.61 RON 7.66

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.51 RON 7.20

49.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.76 RON 8.38

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.96 RON 4.56

57.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.01 RON 4.79

36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.80 RON 3.83

33.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.67 RON 3.18

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.84 RON 27.82

-28.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.31 RON 25.31

253.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.95 RON 4.52

91.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.18 RON 5.63

140.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.77 RON 3.65

88.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$26.96 RON 128

110.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.60 RON 2.88

403.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.70 RON 3.34

45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.10 RON 33.85

-48.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.71 RON 8.15

-14.04%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$28.5K RON 135.6K

-5.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$24.7K RON 117.5K

8.21%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$146 RON 695

-33.97%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.61 RON 36.27

47.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$7.70 RON 36.68

118.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$36.70 RON 175

83.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$34.89 RON 166

-69.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.24 RON 29.75

20.19%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$601 RON 2,865

-20.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$4,839 RON 23.1K

132.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$97.2 RON 463

-35.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.71 RON 151

-10.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$60.9 RON 290

54.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$83.6 RON 399

2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$514 RON 2,451

39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$471 RON 2,244

4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$778 RON 3,705

147.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$550 RON 2,623

159.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$1,723 RON 8,210

142.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,324 RON 6,309

129.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$911 RON 4,341

-44.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Galati: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Galati

$471 39.6% 4.1% $20

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Galati

$182 15.3% 31.7% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Galati

$161 13.5% 29.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Galati

$123 10.3% 1% $1.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Galati

$170 14.3% 39.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Galati

$49 4.1% 40.2% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Galati

$34 2.9% 51.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $514 in Galati. 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 81% higher in Galati, 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 $42 in Galati. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $182 in Galati – so Galati wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Galati

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

20:18 8:18 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

249,432

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 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 Galati 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Galati

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 Galati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,190 in Galati – Galati comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,785 in Galati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Galati, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $514 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,190 in Galati. That makes Galati about 7% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Galati. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,190 in Galati, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,190 in Galati to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.