Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Orhei

For one person, living is cheaper in Orhei: $361 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Orhei
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Orhei Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Orhei

🇲🇩 Moldova

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Orhei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $361 in Orhei.

Phuket $1,207
Orhei $361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $588 in Orhei.

Phuket $2,037
Orhei $588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $816 in Orhei.

Phuket $2,867
Orhei $816

Living in Phuket is roughly 235% more expensive than in Orhei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Orhei 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$11.28 MDL 200

-59.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$22.16 MDL 394

46.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.09 MDL 126

20.59%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.38 MDL 24.58

97.10%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.78 MDL 13.87

20.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.47 MDL 8.34

4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.14 MDL 20.21

127.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.39 MDL 24.66

175.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.99 MDL 17.61

75.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.33 MDL 5.85

333.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.96 MDL 34.87

10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.92 MDL 34.18

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.67 MDL 11.92

128.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.52 MDL 9.21

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.16 MDL 2.84

1287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.11 MDL 19.70

162.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.68 MDL 29.76

-11.31%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$20.5K MDL 363.9K

30.38%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$59.2 MDL 1,052

67.74%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$6.67 MDL 118

69.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$9.97 MDL 177

74.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$3.37 MDL 59.8

124.63%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$33.84 MDL 601

85.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$33.59 MDL 597

-14.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$107 MDL 1,904

-10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$33.84 MDL 601

160.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Orhei: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Orhei

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Orhei

$41 * 11.3% 84.7% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Orhei

$76 21% 40.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Orhei

$94 26% 24.4% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Orhei

$142 39.3% 16.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Orhei

$6.7 * 1.9% 90% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Orhei

$1.8 * 0.5% 95.5% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Orhei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $41.00 per month, with Orhei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇩 Orhei

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

08:53 8:53 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,918

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Orhei 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Orhei

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 Orhei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Orhei is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $541 in Orhei 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 555% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Orhei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $361 in Orhei versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Orhei but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Orhei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Orhei is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Orhei are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Orhei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 235% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.