Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tulcea

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $986 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
Learn more

Tulcea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tulcea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $986 in Tulcea.

Phuket $1,278
Tulcea $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,559 in Tulcea.

Phuket $2,216
Tulcea $1,559

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,132 in Tulcea.

Phuket $3,154
Tulcea $2,132

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Tulcea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.70 RON 56.2

-61.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$46.31 RON 223

-30.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.87 RON 37.83

11.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.07 RON 9.93

36.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.12 RON 10.17

-58.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.06 RON 5.10

-53.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.07 RON 9.95

23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.04 RON 9.81

80.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.61 RON 7.75

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.04 RON 4.99

40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.44 RON 6.91

4.17%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.16 RON 15.17

-33.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$7.51 RON 36.11

153.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.89 RON 33.10

-52.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.10 RON 43.73

19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.35 RON 6.48

117.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.64 RON 7.86

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.42 RON 6.84

58.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.99 RON 9.59

4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.74 RON 3.54

104.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.70 RON 3.36

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.67 RON 3.24

59.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.77 RON 3.70

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.42 RON 30.87

-34.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.33 RON 30.44

196.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.00 RON 4.83

82.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.42 RON 6.83

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.07 RON 5.14

35.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$17.84 RON 85.8

217.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.64 RON 3.09

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.62 RON 2.96

64.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.36 RON 30.57

-41.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.74 RON 8.36

-15.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$28.1K RON 135.1K

-4.76%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.9K RON 119.6K

7.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$134 RON 643

-27.99%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.76 RON 37.29

45.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$8.60 RON 41.32

95.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.52 RON 151

113.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.60 RON 79.8

-35.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.32 RON 40.00

-9.86%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$319 RON 1,532

49.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$3,187 RON 15.3K

253.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$52.0 RON 250

19.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.54 RON 152

-9.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$91.1 RON 438

3.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$95.8 RON 460

-10.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$343 RON 1,650

108.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$274 RON 1,315

79.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$585 RON 2,813

229.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$499 RON 2,397

186.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$990 RON 4,759

321.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$856 RON 4,112

255.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$648 RON 3,115

-22.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.85

-18.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tulcea: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tulcea

$274 27.8% 44.3% $217

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tulcea

$197 20% 25.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tulcea

$150 15.2% 20.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tulcea

$122 12.3% 0.2% $0.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tulcea

$169 17.2% 39% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tulcea

$48 4.9% 41.4% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tulcea

$26 2.6% 63.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $343 in Tulcea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulcea pays 29% 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 $46 in Tulcea. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $197, with Tulcea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

23:06 11:06 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

73,707

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tulcea 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tulcea

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 Tulcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulcea is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $343 in Tulcea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $319 in Tulcea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $986 in Tulcea versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 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.

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 Tulcea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.