Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Iernut

For one person, living is cheaper in Iernut: $930 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Iernut
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Iernut Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Iernut

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Iernut

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $930 in Iernut.

Phuket $1,278
Iernut $930

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,434 in Iernut.

Phuket $2,216
Iernut $1,434

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,939 in Iernut.

Phuket $3,154
Iernut $1,939

Living in Phuket is roughly 37% more expensive than in Iernut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Iernut 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.91 RON 42.72

-49.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$42.80 RON 205

-24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.18 RON 34.44

22.70%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.19 RON 10.50

29.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.44 RON 6.92

-39.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.23 RON 5.89

-60.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.14 RON 10.24

19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.37 RON 11.34

55.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.39 RON 6.67

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.11 RON 5.34

31.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.46 RON 7.01

2.74%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.92 RON 14.00

-28.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$8.14 RON 39.04

134.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.77 RON 27.69

-42.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.35 RON 49.64

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$0.99 RON 4.74

195.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.33 RON 6.36

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.46 RON 7.00

54.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.88 RON 9.03

10.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.71 RON 3.40

112.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.51 RON 2.46

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.87 RON 4.18

22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.72 RON 3.43

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.93 RON 28.45

-29.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.44 RON 35.70

152.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.08 RON 5.17

68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.62 RON 7.75

75.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.71 RON 3.38

104.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$21.72 RON 104

160.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.63 RON 3.00

379.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.62 RON 2.99

64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.47 RON 31.03

-42.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.81 RON 8.68

-18.78%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$29.0K RON 139.1K

-7.71%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$25.8K RON 123.6K

3.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$101 RON 485

-4.65%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.63 RON 36.61

47.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$7.97 RON 38.20

111.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$38.48 RON 185

74.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$20.63 RON 98.9

-47.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.51 RON 31.21

15.21%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$419 RON 2,008

13.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$6,990 RON 33.5K

61.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$51.7 RON 248

20.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$30.48 RON 146

-6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$75.3 RON 361

25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$78.5 RON 376

9.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$382 RON 1,831

87.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$289 RON 1,385

69.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$604 RON 2,898

218.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$441 RON 2,114

224.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,857 RON 8,905

124.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,329 RON 6,373

129.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Iernut: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Iernut

$289 31% 41.2% $202

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Iernut

$194 20.8% 27.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Iernut

$117 12.5% 6.3% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Iernut

$106 11.4% 12.9% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Iernut

$145 15.6% 19.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Iernut

$52 5.5% 37.4% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Iernut

$28 3% 59.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $382 in Iernut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $43 in Iernut. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $194, with Iernut cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Iernut

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.8 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Iernut 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Iernut

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 Iernut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iernut is about 27% 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 $1,396 in Iernut 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $382 in Iernut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $43 in Iernut. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $930 in Iernut – Iernut is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.