Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Leova

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,341 in Leova, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Leova outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Leova
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Leova Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Leova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,341 in Leova.

Phuket $1,278
Leova $1,341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,057 in Leova.

Phuket $2,216
Leova $2,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,773 in Leova.

Phuket $3,154
Leova $2,773

Living in Phuket costs roughly 5% less than in Leova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.31 MDL 184

-56.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$33.24 MDL 594

-2.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.94 MDL 160

-1.45%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$0.81 MDL 14.57

249.38%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.49 MDL 8.72

77.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.40 MDL 7.23

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.48 MDL 44.42

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.64 MDL 47.13

39.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.69 MDL 30.16

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.47 MDL 26.27

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.38 MDL 24.63

8.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.36 MDL 24.39

53.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.70 MDL 245

39.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.29 MDL 41.01

44.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.03 MDL 72.0

170.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.28 MDL 22.86

128.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.86 MDL 15.35

96.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.94 MDL 16.78

139.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.09 MDL 19.46

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.52 MDL 27.23

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.53 MDL 9.52

160.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.46 MDL 8.29

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.98 MDL 17.56

-46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.41 MDL 78.9

-4.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.81 MDL 265

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.13 MDL 20.23

61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.67 MDL 47.75

6.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.37 MDL 6.70

291.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$27.71 MDL 495

104.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.72 MDL 48.62

11.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.54 MDL 9.58

88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.42 MDL 61.2

7.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.35 MDL 24.13

8.89%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.1K MDL 609.5K

-21.45%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$34.0K MDL 607.0K

-21.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$184 MDL 3,285

-47.56%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.51 MDL 98.6

104.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.70 MDL 370

-18.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$83.2 MDL 1,488

-19.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.26 MDL 201

-4.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.52 MDL 80.8

65.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$83.7 MDL 1,496

-25.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$54.4 MDL 972

-47.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$95.4 MDL 1,705

-1.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$110 MDL 1,965

-21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$641 MDL 11.5K

11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$521 MDL 9,320

-5.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,506 MDL 26.9K

27.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,086 MDL 19.4K

31.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,489 MDL 44.5K

67.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,885 MDL 33.7K

61.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$653 MDL 11.7K

-23.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.19

-22.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Leova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Leova

$521 38.9% 6.2% $30

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Leova

$188 14% 29.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Leova

$210 15.7% 68.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Leova

$154 11.5% 26.7% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Leova

$140 10.5% 15.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Leova

$92 6.9% 12.2% $10

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Leova

$35 2.6% 51% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $641 in Leova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leova pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $33 in Leova. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $188, with Leova cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇩 Leova

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Leova 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Leova

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 Leova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $641 in Leova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Leova pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,341 in Leova – Phuket is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Leova on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.