Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $842 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Roman

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $842 in Roman.

Phuket $1,294
Roman $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,393 in Roman.

Phuket $2,204
Roman $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,944 in Roman.

Phuket $3,115
Roman $1,944

Living in Phuket is roughly 54% more expensive than in Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Roman 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.46 RON 49.72

-58.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$33.05 RON 157

-2.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.27 RON 34.54

19.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.54 RON 12.06

7.09%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.35 RON 6.41

-31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.04 RON 4.94

-51.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.14 RON 10.17

18.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.18 RON 10.36

66.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.18 RON 5.62

47.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.66 RON 3.15

119.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.43 RON 6.82

4.90%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.91 RON 13.84

-25.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$7.85 RON 37.32

143.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.76 RON 27.37

-40.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.25 RON 39.22

32.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.07 RON 5.07

174.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.49 RON 7.11

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.39 RON 6.59

57.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.83 RON 8.69

15.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$0.68 RON 3.25

114.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.83 RON 3.94

65.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.81 RON 3.86

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.73 RON 3.45

-24.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.32 RON 25.27

-16.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$5.38 RON 25.59

239.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$0.96 RON 4.56

84.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.17 RON 5.58

146.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.74 RON 3.53

95.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$20.48 RON 97.4

168.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.65 RON 3.11

132.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.65 RON 3.08

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.36 RON 34.98

-47.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.82 RON 8.66

-18.13%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$28.3K RON 134.6K

-5.05%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$24.7K RON 117.6K

6.46%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$147 RON 699

-33.51%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$6.70 RON 31.85

68.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$8.03 RON 38.18

114.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$37.42 RON 178

82.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$17.23 RON 81.9

-36.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.26 RON 29.73

18.69%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$290 RON 1,377

83.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$6,433 RON 30.6K

191.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$96.0 RON 456

-35.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$25.20 RON 120

12.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$61.6 RON 293

55.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$58.4 RON 278

48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$213 RON 1,015

237.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$159 RON 754

220.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$611 RON 2,906

218.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$459 RON 2,181

204.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,818 RON 8,643

130.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,519 RON 7,220

117.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$828 RON 3,935

-40.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Roman: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Roman

$159 18.8% 68.8% $350

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Roman

$176 20.8% 34.2% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Roman

$162 19.2% 28.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Roman

$109 12.9% 11.6% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Roman

$161 19.1% 34.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Roman

$50 5.9% 40% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Roman

$27 3.3% 58.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $213 in Roman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roman pays 68% 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 $33 in Roman. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $176, with Roman cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

80,328

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Roman 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roman is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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 $213 in Roman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $290 in Roman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $842 in Roman versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Roman but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Roman the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.