Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sighetu Marmatiei

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei: $934 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Sighetu Marmatiei
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Sighetu Marmatiei Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sighetu Marmatiei

🇷🇴 Romania

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sighetu Marmatiei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $934 in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Phuket $1,294
Sighetu Marmatiei $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,383 in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Phuket $2,204
Sighetu Marmatiei $1,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,832 in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Phuket $3,115
Sighetu Marmatiei $1,832

Living in Phuket is roughly 38% more expensive than in Sighetu Marmatiei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Sighetu Marmatiei 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$8.48 RON 40.29

-48.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$21.32 RON 101

51.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.15 RON 33.99

21.68%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.71 RON 12.90

0.37%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.83 RON 8.70

-49.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.78 RON 8.45

-71.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.04 RON 9.70

24.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.12 RON 14.82

16.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.43 RON 6.78

21.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.02 RON 4.84

42.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.21 RON 5.75

23.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.80 RON 13.32

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$8.12 RON 38.61

135.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.24 RON 29.65

-45.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$9.27 RON 44.06

17.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.12 RON 5.31

162.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.55 RON 7.38

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.46 RON 6.94

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.34 RON 6.37

58.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$0.80 RON 3.83

82.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.92 RON 4.38

48.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.70 RON 3.32

54.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.77 RON 3.68

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.37 RON 25.51

-17.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$5.91 RON 28.07

208.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.00 RON 4.74

77.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.74 RON 8.29

65.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.71 RON 3.37

104.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$21.69 RON 103

153.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.77 RON 3.64

96.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.72 RON 3.40

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.63 RON 41.04

-55.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.67 RON 7.93

-10.78%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$28.1K RON 133.5K

-4.33%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$25.3K RON 120.0K

4.32%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$139 RON 662

-29.77%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$6.55 RON 31.12

72.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$7.69 RON 36.54

123.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$37.27 RON 177

83.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$20.14 RON 95.7

-45.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.18 RON 19.85

77.75%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$396 RON 1,882

33.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$9,965 RON 47.4K

88.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$60.9 RON 290

1.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$37.00 RON 176

-23.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$55.8 RON 265

72.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$64.1 RON 305

35.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$409 RON 1,942

76.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$268 RON 1,272

90.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$564 RON 2,681

245.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$432 RON 2,055

223.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,833 RON 8,710

128.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,153 RON 5,481

186.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$533 RON 2,535

-7.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.1

-21.55%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sighetu Marmatiei: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$268 28.7% 47.4% $241

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$188 20.1% 29.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$154 16.4% 21.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$98 10.5% 20.1% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$153 16.3% 27.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$46 4.9% 45.2% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$29 3.1% 56.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $409 in Sighetu Marmatiei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sighetu Marmatiei pays 9% 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 $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $188 per month, with Sighetu Marmatiei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Sighetu Marmatiei

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,640

💱 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 Sighetu Marmatiei 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sighetu Marmatiei

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 Sighetu Marmatiei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sighetu Marmatiei is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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 $409 in Sighetu Marmatiei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $396 in Sighetu Marmatiei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $934 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sighetu Marmatiei but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sighetu Marmatiei 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Sighetu Marmatiei are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Sighetu Marmatiei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.