Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lehliu Gara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lehliu Gara: $1,024 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Lehliu Gara
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Lehliu Gara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Lehliu Gara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lehliu Gara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,024 in Lehliu Gara.

Phuket $1,294
Lehliu Gara $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,575 in Lehliu Gara.

Phuket $2,204
Lehliu Gara $1,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,125 in Lehliu Gara.

Phuket $3,115
Lehliu Gara $2,125

Living in Phuket is roughly 26% more expensive than in Lehliu Gara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Lehliu Gara 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.51 RON 49.97

-58.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$41.25 RON 196

-21.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.52 RON 35.73

15.69%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.50 RON 11.89

8.80%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.02 RON 9.59

-53.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.88 RON 8.92

-73.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.07 RON 9.84

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.08 RON 14.66

17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.23 RON 5.84

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.70 RON 3.34

107.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.78 RON 8.47

-15.73%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.52 RON 16.72

-38.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$7.77 RON 36.95

145.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.73 RON 27.24

-40.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.54 RON 40.61

27.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.34 RON 6.36

119.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.60 RON 7.58

5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.55 RON 7.37

41.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.73 RON 8.21

22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$0.91 RON 4.33

60.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.04 RON 4.94

31.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.83 RON 3.94

30.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.67 RON 3.17

-17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.63 RON 26.74

-21.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$5.28 RON 25.09

245.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.00 RON 4.75

77.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.20 RON 5.70

140.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.81 RON 3.87

79.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$20.63 RON 98.0

166.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.69 RON 3.30

118.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.76 RON 3.60

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.55 RON 35.90

-49.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.84 RON 8.73

-19.02%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$28.2K RON 134.2K

-4.77%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$25.0K RON 118.9K

5.28%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$149 RON 710

-34.57%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$7.59 RON 36.06

48.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$7.95 RON 37.79

116.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$35.96 RON 171

90.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$22.65 RON 108

-51.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.34 RON 30.12

17.19%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$595 RON 2,830

-10.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$6,464 RON 30.7K

190.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$94.1 RON 447

-34.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$31.64 RON 150

-10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$61.9 RON 294

55.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$84.9 RON 403

2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$343 RON 1,631

110.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$307 RON 1,459

65.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$568 RON 2,698

243.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$524 RON 2,491

166.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,720 RON 8,174

143.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,538 RON 7,310

114.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lehliu Gara: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Lehliu Gara

$307 30% 39.7% $202

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Lehliu Gara

$183 17.9% 31.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Lehliu Gara

$165 16.1% 30.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Lehliu Gara

$123 12% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Lehliu Gara

$169 16.5% 41.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Lehliu Gara

$49 4.8% 41.5% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Lehliu Gara

$28 2.8% 57.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $343 in Lehliu Gara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $41 in Lehliu Gara. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $183, with Lehliu Gara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Lehliu Gara

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lehliu Gara 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lehliu Gara

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 Lehliu Gara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lehliu Gara is about 21% 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 $1,940 in Phuket and $1,536 in Lehliu Gara 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: $721 in Phuket versus $343 in Lehliu Gara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $595 in Lehliu Gara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Lehliu Gara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Lehliu Gara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.