Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Iasi

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Iasi: $1,278 and $1,256 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Iasi

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,256 in Iasi, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Iasi $1,256

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,841 in Iasi, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Iasi $1,841

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,425 in Iasi, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Iasi $2,425

Phuket costs about 2% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Iasi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Iasi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.50 RON 50.5

-57.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$42.22 RON 203

-23.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.18 RON 34.50

22.70%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.95 RON 14.19

-4.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.28 RON 10.95

-61.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.78 RON 8.55

-72.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.20 RON 15.37

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.84 RON 18.45

-4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 RON 7.45

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.31 RON 6.31

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.97 RON 9.49

-23.86%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.25 RON 15.64

-35.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.23 RON 39.59

131.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.59 RON 31.67

-49.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.07 RON 48.39

8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.31 RON 6.29

123.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.62 RON 7.78

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.68 RON 8.05

33.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.12 RON 10.20

-1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.86 RON 4.12

75.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.82 RON 3.96

68.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.10 RON 5.30

-2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.94 RON 4.51

-44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.11 RON 29.39

-31.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.64 RON 31.93

182.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.34 RON 6.43

35.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.12 RON 10.17

33.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.85 RON 4.10

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$27.49 RON 132

106.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.80 RON 3.86

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.87 RON 4.18

17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.14 RON 39.11

-54.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.92 RON 9.25

-23.44%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$28.6K RON 137.4K

-6.34%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.8K RON 124.2K

3.28%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$181 RON 871

-46.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.28 RON 35.02

54.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$8.20 RON 39.42

105.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$43.94 RON 211

53.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.95 RON 76.7

-32.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.58 RON 41.25

-12.59%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$385 RON 1,853

23.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,965 RON 33.5K

61.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$73.6 RON 354

-15.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$38.25 RON 184

-25.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$92.0 RON 442

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$89.0 RON 428

-3.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$542 RON 2,608

31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$435 RON 2,090

12.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$836 RON 4,021

130.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$645 RON 3,101

121.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,797 RON 13.4K

49.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,907 RON 9,169

59.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,130 RON 5,431

-55.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.18

-22.42%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 11.4% $56

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 19.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 57.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 8.1% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 48.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 25.7% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 48.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $542 in Iasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Iasi are about 2.2 times higher, 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 Iasi. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $215 in Iasi – so Iasi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

290,422

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Iasi 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Iasi

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 Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,256 in Iasi – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,884 in Iasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $542 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $385 in Iasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,256 in Iasi, 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 $1,256 in Iasi to $1,278 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.