Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sibiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibiu: $1,112 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sibiu
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Sibiu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Sibiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sibiu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,112 in Sibiu.

Phuket $1,208
Sibiu $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,654 in Sibiu.

Phuket $2,027
Sibiu $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,197 in Sibiu.

Phuket $2,845
Sibiu $2,197

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Sibiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sibiu 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$8.50 RON 40.21

-48.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$42.33 RON 200

-23.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.48 RON 35.37

17.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.27 RON 15.48

-13.46%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.01 RON 9.50

-55.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.76 RON 8.33

-73.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.09 RON 14.60

-17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.87 RON 18.31

-1.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.43 RON 6.78

20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.14 RON 5.40

28.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.36 RON 6.43

11.03%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.47 RON 16.41

-37.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.95 RON 37.60

147.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.86 RON 27.73

-43.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.04 RON 38.05

38.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.15 RON 5.44

147.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.57 RON 7.43

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.44 RON 6.80

52.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.54 RON 12.02

-19.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.66 RON 3.13

119.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.60 RON 2.84

130.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.99 RON 4.68

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.85 RON 4.03

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.90 RON 27.92

-27.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.46 RON 35.28

149.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.92 RON 4.36

93.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.40 RON 6.61

103.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.71 RON 3.34

218.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$17.14 RON 81.1

28.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.91 RON 4.28

230.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.80 RON 3.79

32.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.24 RON 39.00

-53.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.94 RON 9.19

-25.26%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-8.67%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$25.6K RON 121.1K

5.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$117 RON 551

-17.31%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.07 RON 42.90

21.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$12.40 RON 58.7

38.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$35.35 RON 167

47.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.48 RON 68.5

-22.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.77 RON 32.04

15.36%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$449 RON 2,123

23.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,702 RON 31.7K

72.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$74.7 RON 353

-14.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$31.65 RON 150

-9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$87.3 RON 413

9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$88.0 RON 416

-0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$450 RON 2,131

63.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$410 RON 1,938

12.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$837 RON 3,960

150.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$606 RON 2,867

98.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,501 RON 11.8K

39.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,022 RON 9,566

24.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,111 RON 5,257

-54.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.02

-20.66%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sibiu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Sibiu

$410 36.8% 11.4% $53

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Sibiu

$196 17.6% 27.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Sibiu

$138 12.4% 10.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sibiu

$127 11.4% 2% $2.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Sibiu

$168 15.1% 38.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Sibiu

$49 4.4% 27.9% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Sibiu

$25 2.2% 36.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $450 in Sibiu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sibiu pays 122% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Sibiu. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $196, with Sibiu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Sibiu

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

19:05 7:05 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

147,245

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Sibiu 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sibiu

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 Sibiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibiu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 122% lower in Sibiu. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $450 in Sibiu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $449 in Sibiu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,112 in Sibiu versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sibiu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sibiu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sibiu 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 Sibiu 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 Sibiu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.