Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mangalia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangalia: $1,107 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Mangalia
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Mangalia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Mangalia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mangalia

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,107 in Mangalia, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Mangalia $1,107

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,678 in Mangalia, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Mangalia $1,678

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,250 in Mangalia, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Mangalia $2,250

Phuket costs about 17% more than Mangalia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mangalia are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Mangalia 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$11.44 RON 54.4

-61.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$46.28 RON 220

-30.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$7.78 RON 37.03

11.83%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$2.90 RON 13.78

-6.21%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.04 RON 9.72

-54.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$2.10 RON 9.99

-76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.48 RON 11.81

2.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.40 RON 16.16

6.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.61 RON 7.64

8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.13 RON 5.36

28.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.55 RON 7.36

-3.23%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$3.08 RON 14.64

-29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$7.85 RON 37.33

143.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$6.65 RON 31.61

-48.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$9.63 RON 45.80

13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.29 RON 6.14

127.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.66 RON 7.91

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.38 RON 6.55

58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$2.02 RON 9.62

4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$0.74 RON 3.50

97.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.76 RON 3.61

80.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$0.67 RON 3.19

61.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.77 RON 3.66

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$6.22 RON 29.61

-28.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$6.74 RON 32.07

170.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$0.97 RON 4.61

82.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$1.43 RON 6.82

101.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.82 RON 3.89

76.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$22.40 RON 107

145.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$0.90 RON 4.26

67.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.87 RON 4.14

-10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$8.92 RON 42.42

-56.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.86 RON 8.85

-19.89%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$28.6K RON 136.0K

-5.97%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$25.2K RON 119.7K

4.74%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$164 RON 779

-40.25%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$5.92 RON 28.17

90.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$8.48 RON 40.32

102.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$37.18 RON 177

83.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$19.75 RON 94.0

-44.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$8.60 RON 40.90

-13.60%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$377 RON 1,792

40.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$5,802 RON 27.6K

223.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$72.1 RON 343

-14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$42.48 RON 202

-33.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$91.2 RON 434

5.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$95.3 RON 453

-8.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$377 RON 1,793

91.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$322 RON 1,533

57.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$683 RON 3,247

185.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$499 RON 2,372

180.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$1,715 RON 8,158

144.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$1,472 RON 7,000

124.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$721 RON 3,432

-31.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.85

-29.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mangalia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Mangalia

$322 29.1% 36.7% $187

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Mangalia

$200 18.1% 24.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Mangalia

$178 16.1% 41% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Mangalia

$135 12.2% 10.4% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Mangalia

$185 16.8% 55.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Mangalia

$54 4.9% 34.6% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Mangalia

$31 2.8% 53.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $377 in Mangalia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 47% higher in Mangalia, 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 $46 in Mangalia. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $200 in Mangalia – so Mangalia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Mangalia

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

00:26 12:26 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

36,364

💱 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 = 37.47 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 = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mangalia 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mangalia

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 Mangalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,107 in Mangalia – Mangalia comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,660 in Mangalia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mangalia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Mangalia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $377 in Mangalia. 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 $1,107 in Mangalia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.