Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $1,102 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Medias

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,102 in Medias.

Phuket $1,294
Medias $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,683 in Medias.

Phuket $2,204
Medias $1,683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,263 in Medias.

Phuket $3,115
Medias $2,263

Living in Phuket is roughly 17% more expensive than in Medias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Medias 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$11.14 RON 52.9

-60.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$51.8 RON 246

-37.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.35 RON 34.91

18.37%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.70 RON 17.57

-26.49%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.46 RON 11.67

-62.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$2.25 RON 10.70

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$3.20 RON 15.18

-20.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.27 RON 15.54

11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.23 RON 5.82

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.43 RON 6.77

1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.73 RON 8.23

-13.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.59 RON 17.03

-39.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.65 RON 41.09

120.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.69 RON 31.78

-49.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$12.89 RON 61.2

-15.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.48 RON 7.01

98.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.48 RON 7.04

14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.55 RON 7.34

41.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.58 RON 12.26

-17.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$0.77 RON 3.66

89.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.75 RON 3.57

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.80 RON 3.78

35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.75 RON 3.56

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$6.21 RON 29.47

-28.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$7.54 RON 35.81

142.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.23 RON 5.82

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.80 RON 8.55

60.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.70 RON 3.31

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$23.96 RON 114

129.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.66 RON 3.14

128.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.68 RON 3.22

14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$6.60 RON 31.32

-41.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.38 RON 6.56

7.97%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$29.0K RON 137.8K

-7.36%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

4.36%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$180 RON 856

-45.77%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$7.25 RON 34.44

55.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$9.26 RON 43.94

85.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$37.03 RON 176

84.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$20.31 RON 96.5

-46.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.12 RON 29.07

21.41%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$438 RON 2,080

21.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$7,770 RON 36.9K

141.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$52.3 RON 249

17.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$35.51 RON 169

-20.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$73.5 RON 349

30.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$90.8 RON 431

-4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$389 RON 1,848

85.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$292 RON 1,388

74.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$602 RON 2,859

223.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$453 RON 2,150

208.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,039 RON 9,680

105.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,480 RON 7,029

122.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.23

-22.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medias: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Medias

$292 26.5% 42.6% $217

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Medias

$222 20.2% 16.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Medias

$197 17.9% 55.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Medias

$113 10.3% 7.5% $9.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Medias

$197 17.9% 64.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Medias

$49 4.5% 40.8% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Medias

$31 2.8% 53.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $389 in Medias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $52 in Medias. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $222, with Medias cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

53,564

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Medias 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medias is about 15% 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 $1,653 in Medias 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 $389 in Medias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $438 in Medias. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% 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 Medias 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 Medias are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.