Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sighisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighisoara: $935 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Sighisoara
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Sighisoara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Sighisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sighisoara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $935 in Sighisoara.

Phuket $1,208
Sighisoara $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,507 in Sighisoara.

Phuket $2,027
Sighisoara $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,079 in Sighisoara.

Phuket $2,845
Sighisoara $2,079

Living in Phuket is roughly 29% more expensive than in Sighisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sighisoara 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$10.56 RON 49.97

-58.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$37.09 RON 176

-13.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.36 RON 39.54

4.78%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.14 RON 10.14

32.24%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.09 RON 9.87

-56.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.32 RON 10.97

-79.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.17 RON 10.27

17.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.79 RON 13.22

37.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.50 RON 7.08

15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.18 RON 5.57

24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.43 RON 6.75

5.59%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.51 RON 16.59

-38.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.33 RON 34.69

168.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$7.32 RON 34.66

-54.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.43 RON 35.16

50.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.03 RON 4.86

176.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.65 RON 7.80

3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.83 RON 8.66

19.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.43 RON 11.50

-15.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.73 RON 3.45

98.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.95 RON 4.50

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.00 RON 4.71

7.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.01 RON 4.79

-49.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.16 RON 24.43

-17.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.50 RON 35.47

147.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.27 RON 6.00

40.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.68 RON 7.95

69.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.65 RON 3.07

247.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.81 RON 3.83

271.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.99 RON 4.66

7.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.62 RON 40.77

-55.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.73 RON 8.17

-16.18%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$28.2K RON 133.4K

-6.62%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.3K RON 115.0K

10.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$59.0 RON 279

63.25%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.38 RON 39.64

31.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$8.35 RON 39.53

105.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$51.7 RON 245

0.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$9.69 RON 45.85

-19.40%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$585 RON 2,767

-4.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$9,663 RON 45.7K

19.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$87.8 RON 415

-26.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$47.36 RON 224

-39.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$98.9 RON 468

-3.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$108 RON 511

-18.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$319 RON 1,510

130.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$249 RON 1,179

85.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$535 RON 2,530

291.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$489 RON 2,316

145.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,554 RON 7,355

124.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,059 RON 5,010

138.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$595 RON 2,817

-15.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.65

-16.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sighisoara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Sighisoara

$249 26.7% 46.1% $213

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Sighisoara

$207 22.1% 23% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Sighisoara

$76 8.1% 39.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sighisoara

$154 16.5% 23.8% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Sighisoara

$169 18.1% 39.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Sighisoara

$71 7.6% 4.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Sighisoara

$8.3 * 0.9% 78.9% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $319 in Sighisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sighisoara pays 19% 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 $37.00 in Sighisoara. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $207, with Sighisoara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Sighisoara

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,570

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Sighisoara 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sighisoara

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 Sighisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sighisoara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Sighisoara. 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 $319 in Sighisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $585 in Sighisoara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sighisoara – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $935 in Sighisoara versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sighisoara but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sighisoara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.