Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tulcea Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tulcea

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $969 in Tulcea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Phuket versus $1,499 in Tulcea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,310 in Phuket versus $2,030 in Tulcea.

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than Tulcea, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tulcea 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿150

$9.86 RON 44.76

-53.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 ฿1,535

$42.30 RON 192

10.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 ฿279

$7.89 RON 35.83

7.35%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ฿99.7

$2.70 RON 12.26

12.22%

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

$0.69 ฿22.69

$1.94 RON 8.80

-64.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.04

$1.94 RON 8.82

-80.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ฿81.9

$2.28 RON 10.34

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿120

$3.54 RON 16.06

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿71.8

$1.40 RON 6.34

55.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ฿62.6

$1.09 RON 4.93

74.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ฿72.4

$1.69 RON 7.65

30.18%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿73.2

$2.39 RON 10.83

-7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.99 ฿658

$8.87 RON 40.25

125.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿121

$7.10 RON 32.23

-48.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 ฿436

$8.93 RON 40.55

48.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿106

$1.18 RON 5.34

173.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿55.9

$1.47 RON 6.67

15.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿78.8

$1.29 RON 5.83

85.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.4

$1.96 RON 8.88

6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿52.4

$0.74 RON 3.38

114.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.83

$0.89 RON 4.05

66.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.90

$0.70 RON 3.20

47.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.01

$0.86 RON 3.89

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿140

$5.88 RON 26.68

-27.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿618

$6.80 RON 30.89

176.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿57.8

$0.98 RON 4.45

79.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿90.8

$1.41 RON 6.40

95.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ฿44.79

$0.71 RON 3.23

91.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿374

$27.64 RON 125

-58.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ฿103

$0.68 RON 3.08

361.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿34.10

$0.65 RON 2.95

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 ฿453

$5.59 RON 25.38

146.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.26

$1.60 RON 7.27

-16.25%

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

$27.7K ฿911.1K

$25.2K RON 114.4K

9.82%

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

$33.9K ฿1.1M

$26.9K RON 122.1K

25.93%

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

$124 ฿4,069

$92.2 RON 419

34.02%

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

$13.52 ฿445

$8.10 RON 36.77

66.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 ฿615

$9.71 RON 44.07

92.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.8 ฿2,035

$26.58 RON 121

132.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿568

$19.11 RON 86.8

-9.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.14 ฿301

$6.71 RON 30.46

36.21%

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

$703 ฿23.1K

$430 RON 1,952

63.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ฿522.5K

$6,893 RON 31.3K

130.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,958

$84.1 RON 382

-29.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 ฿1,154

$41.91 RON 190

-16.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,795

$74.8 RON 339

54.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ฿2,767

$96.4 RON 438

-12.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.4K

$389 RON 1,766

58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 ฿14.2K

$289 RON 1,314

49.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 ฿67.9K

$577 RON 2,621

257.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 ฿49.7K

$433 RON 1,966

248.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿120.0K

$1,329 RON 6,034

174.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,626 ฿86.4K

$1,165 RON 5,287

125.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.7K

$644 RON 2,921

-21.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.5

-18.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Last update for Tulcea: June 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $389 in Tulcea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulcea pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Tulcea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $198 per month, with Tulcea cheaper across the board.

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 Tulcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulcea is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Tulcea earns 27% less. 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: $619 in Phuket versus $389 in Tulcea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $703 in Phuket versus $430 in Tulcea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $969 in Tulcea versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tulcea but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tulcea 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 Tulcea 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 Tulcea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.