Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Giurgiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Giurgiu: $1,112 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Giurgiu
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Giurgiu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Giurgiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Giurgiu

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,112 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Giurgiu $1,112

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,678 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Giurgiu $1,678

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $2,245 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Giurgiu $2,245

Phuket costs about 9% more than Giurgiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Giurgiu are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Giurgiu 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$10.83 RON 51.3

-57.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$52.0 RON 246

-37.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.21 RON 34.10

18.59%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.57 RON 16.89

-23.81%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.44 RON 11.56

-61.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.14 RON 10.15

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.19 RON 15.10

-18.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.32 RON 15.70

15.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.52 RON 7.18

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.35 RON 6.40

5.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.68 RON 7.96

-8.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.58 RON 16.96

-39.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.67 RON 41.01

120.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.89 RON 32.62

-52.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$12.35 RON 58.4

-9.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.52 RON 7.21

94.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.51 RON 7.14

11.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.63 RON 7.70

41.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.62 RON 12.41

-18.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.77 RON 3.64

98.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.85 RON 4.04

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.90 RON 4.28

24.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.80 RON 3.77

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.11 RON 28.93

-30.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.44 RON 35.21

144.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.19 RON 5.63

46.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.87 RON 8.84

49.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.75 RON 3.53

196.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$21.57 RON 102

2.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.63 RON 2.98

361.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.66 RON 3.13

53.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.41 RON 30.32

-40.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.84 RON 8.69

-19.02%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$28.6K RON 135.4K

-6.76%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$26.2K RON 124.1K

1.87%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$175 RON 830

-43.34%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$7.72 RON 36.55

46.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$9.19 RON 43.48

88.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$32.75 RON 155

59.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$23.12 RON 109

-53.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$9.51 RON 45.00

-20.40%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$441 RON 2,086

26.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$6,982 RON 33.0K

64.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$52.4 RON 248

20.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$35.40 RON 167

-19.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$75.1 RON 355

27.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$88.9 RON 421

-0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$329 RON 1,557

121.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$309 RON 1,460

49.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$528 RON 2,500

296.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$436 RON 2,064

180.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,004 RON 9,484

72.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,180 RON 5,585

110.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$894 RON 4,230

-44.85%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Giurgiu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Giurgiu

$309 27.8% 32.9% $151

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Giurgiu

$225 20.3% 15.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Giurgiu

$192 17.3% 50.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Giurgiu

$113 10.2% 8.7% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Giurgiu

$192 17.3% 58.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Giurgiu

$52 4.7% 23.2% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Giurgiu

$28 2.6% 26.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $329 in Giurgiu. 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 Giurgiu, 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 $52.0 in Giurgiu. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $225 in Giurgiu – so Giurgiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Giurgiu

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

61,353

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Phuket Giurgiu 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Giurgiu

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 Giurgiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,668 in Giurgiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2% less in Giurgiu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $441 in Giurgiu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Giurgiu, where all-in costs run around $1,112, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Giurgiu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Giurgiu. 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.