Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Targu Mures

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $938 in Targu Mures.

Phuket $1,208
Targu Mures $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,461 in Targu Mures.

Phuket $2,027
Targu Mures $1,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,984 in Targu Mures.

Phuket $2,845
Targu Mures $1,984

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$9.12 RON 43.15

-51.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$42.19 RON 200

-23.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.00 RON 37.83

9.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.17 RON 10.27

30.41%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.44 RON 6.83

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.23 RON 5.83

-61.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.91 RON 9.04

33.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.26 RON 10.68

69.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.34 RON 6.34

29.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.07 RON 5.07

37.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.45 RON 6.87

4.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.88 RON 13.65

-24.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.00 RON 37.84

146.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.81 RON 27.47

-42.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.08 RON 47.68

10.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.00 RON 4.72

185.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.33 RON 6.29

27.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.39 RON 6.59

57.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.90 RON 9.00

7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.77 RON 3.64

88.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.55 RON 2.61

150.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.80 RON 3.79

33.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.77 RON 3.64

-33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.84 RON 27.61

-27.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.39 RON 34.98

151.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.07 RON 5.06

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.55 RON 7.32

83.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.66 RON 3.11

242.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$25.06 RON 119

-11.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.88 RON 4.14

242.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.85 RON 4.04

24.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.47 RON 35.32

-48.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.81 RON 8.55

-19.89%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$28.1K RON 133.0K

-6.33%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$25.3K RON 119.8K

6.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$101 RON 477

-4.37%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.37 RON 44.35

17.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$8.19 RON 38.75

109.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$42.30 RON 200

23.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$18.38 RON 87.0

-39.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.27 RON 29.67

24.56%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,330 RON 6,291

-58.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$52.3 RON 248

22.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.80 RON 141

-3.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$76.7 RON 363

24.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$77.4 RON 366

13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$415 RON 1,964

77.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$286 RON 1,355

61.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$650 RON 3,077

222.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$472 RON 2,232

154.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,238 RON 10.6K

55.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,487 RON 7,035

69.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$991 RON 4,687

-49.46%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Targu Mures

$286 30.5% 38% $176

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Targu Mures

$192 20.5% 28.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Targu Mures

$118 12.6% 5% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Targu Mures

$106 11.3% 14.5% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Targu Mures

$148 15.8% 21.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Targu Mures

$55 5.8% 19.1% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Targu Mures

$33 3.5% 16.8% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $415 in Targu Mures. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Targu Mures pays 98% 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 Targu Mures. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $192, with Targu Mures cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

134,290

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Targu Mures 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Targu Mures

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 Targu Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Mures is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Targu Mures. 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 $415 in Targu Mures. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $1,330 in Targu Mures. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $938 in Targu Mures versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Targu Mures but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Mures the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Targu Mures 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 Targu Mures 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 Targu Mures 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.