Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mamaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mamaia: $1,035 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Mamaia
Learn more

Mamaia Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Mamaia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mamaia

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,035 in Mamaia, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Mamaia $1,035

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,581 in Mamaia, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Mamaia $1,581

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,127 in Mamaia, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Mamaia $2,127

Phuket costs about 25% more than Mamaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mamaia are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Mamaia 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$9.98 RON 47.46

-56.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$45.76 RON 218

-29.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$7.88 RON 37.47

10.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$2.71 RON 12.87

0.37%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.00 RON 9.52

-53.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.74 RON 8.26

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.33 RON 11.10

8.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.78 RON 13.25

30.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.46 RON 6.94

19.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.21 RON 5.75

19.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.69 RON 8.05

-11.24%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$3.33 RON 15.82

-34.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$8.60 RON 40.93

121.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$6.67 RON 31.73

-49.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$9.79 RON 46.55

11.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.13 RON 5.37

160.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.53 RON 7.26

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.62 RON 7.69

35.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$2.22 RON 10.57

-4.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$0.86 RON 4.10

69.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.96 RON 4.58

42.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$0.89 RON 4.24

21.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.78 RON 3.71

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$5.74 RON 27.31

-22.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$6.35 RON 30.21

187.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.06 RON 5.06

66.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$1.70 RON 8.08

69.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.66 RON 3.12

119.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$19.69 RON 93.7

178.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$0.76 RON 3.59

98.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.76 RON 3.63

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$7.12 RON 33.85

-46.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.61 RON 7.65

-7.45%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$27.9K RON 132.9K

-3.78%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$27.1K RON 129.1K

-2.93%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$147 RON 699

-33.40%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$7.88 RON 37.47

43.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$8.88 RON 42.23

93.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$41.07 RON 195

66.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$18.96 RON 90.2

-42.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$6.94 RON 33.01

7.06%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$422 RON 2,008

25.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$7,038 RON 33.5K

166.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$68.1 RON 324

-9.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$40.19 RON 191

-29.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$75.8 RON 361

26.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$94.0 RON 447

-7.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$391 RON 1,860

84.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$290 RON 1,380

75.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$586 RON 2,787

232.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$445 RON 2,116

214.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$1,899 RON 9,035

120.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$1,459 RON 6,938

126.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.5

-14.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mamaia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Mamaia

$290 28% 43% $219

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Mamaia

$207 20% 22.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Mamaia

$164 15.8% 29.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Mamaia

$125 12.1% 2% $2.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Mamaia

$168 16.2% 40.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Mamaia

$55 5.3% 33.9% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Mamaia

$27 2.6% 59.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $391 in Mamaia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $46 in Mamaia. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $207 in Mamaia – so Mamaia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Mamaia

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

441

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 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 Mamaia 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mamaia

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 Mamaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,035 in Mamaia – Mamaia comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,553 in Mamaia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mamaia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $391 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Mamaia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $422 in Mamaia. 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 $1,294 in Phuket and $1,035 in Mamaia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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