Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pascani

For one person, living is cheaper in Pascani: $967 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Pascani
Learn more

Pascani Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Pascani

🇷🇴 Romania

$967

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pascani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $967 in Pascani.

Phuket $1,294
Pascani $967

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,444 in Pascani.

Phuket $2,204
Pascani $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,921 in Pascani.

Phuket $3,115
Pascani $1,921

Living in Phuket is roughly 34% more expensive than in Pascani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Pascani 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$8.50 RON 40.42

-48.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$41.83 RON 199

-22.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$8.35 RON 39.69

4.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.08 RON 9.86

30.77%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.53 RON 7.26

-39.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.03 RON 4.88

-51.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.69 RON 8.05

49.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.27 RON 10.78

59.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.28 RON 6.07

35.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.08 RON 5.13

34.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.39 RON 6.63

7.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.79 RON 13.27

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$8.07 RON 38.36

136.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.93 RON 28.17

-42.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$10.02 RON 47.61

8.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$0.94 RON 4.46

212.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.31 RON 6.24

29.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.45 RON 6.89

51.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.74 RON 8.29

21.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$0.69 RON 3.30

111.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.51 RON 2.41

168.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.85 RON 4.05

27.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.71 RON 3.38

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.93 RON 28.17

-25.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.45 RON 35.40

144.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.08 RON 5.13

63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.52 RON 7.24

89.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.72 RON 3.40

101.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$24.40 RON 116

124.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.72 RON 3.41

109.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.70 RON 3.32

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$12.34 RON 58.7

-68.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.44 RON 6.84

3.47%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$28.4K RON 135.1K

-5.40%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$25.0K RON 118.9K

5.33%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$99.3 RON 472

-1.45%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$6.22 RON 29.56

81.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$8.28 RON 39.38

107.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$38.05 RON 181

79.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$21.85 RON 104

-50.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.43 RON 30.57

15.55%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$417 RON 1,981

27.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$7,438 RON 35.4K

152.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$52.6 RON 250

17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$29.74 RON 141

-5.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$76.1 RON 362

26.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$78.1 RON 371

11.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$384 RON 1,827

87.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$333 RON 1,583

52.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$705 RON 3,349

176.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$444 RON 2,112

214.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,801 RON 8,559

132.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,438 RON 6,835

129.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$729 RON 3,463

-32.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.47

-25.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pascani: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Pascani

$333 34.5% 34.5% $176

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Pascani

$190 19.6% 28.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Pascani

$114 11.8% 9.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Pascani

$106 11% 13.3% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Pascani

$141 14.6% 18.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Pascani

$51 5.3% 38.8% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Pascani

$31 3.3% 52.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $384 in Pascani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pascani pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Pascani. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $190, with Pascani cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Pascani

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

35,897

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 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 Pascani 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pascani

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 Pascani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pascani wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pascani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $384 in Pascani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $417 in Pascani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Pascani is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.