Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Turda

For one person, living is cheaper in Turda: $1,079 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Turda
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Turda Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Turda

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Turda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,079 in Turda.

Phuket $1,207
Turda $1,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,617 in Turda.

Phuket $2,037
Turda $1,617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,155 in Turda.

Phuket $2,867
Turda $2,155

Living in Phuket is roughly 12% more expensive than in Turda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Turda 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$12.82 RON 60.7

-64.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$32.32 RON 153

0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$8.62 RON 40.80

-0.81%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.74 RON 12.98

-0.73%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.81 RON 8.57

-48.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.34 RON 6.35

-63.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.12 RON 10.05

22.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.07 RON 9.78

85.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.53 RON 7.23

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.46 RON 6.89

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.54 RON 7.28

-0.65%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.80 RON 13.23

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$6.26 RON 29.60

205.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.48 RON 30.64

-49.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$11.48 RON 54.3

-2.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.11 RON 5.24

165.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.49 RON 7.03

12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.32 RON 6.23

74.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.44 RON 11.56

-12.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.99 RON 4.69

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.98 RON 4.63

38.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.97 RON 4.60

15.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.01 RON 4.76

-45.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.14 RON 24.32

-17.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.54 RON 35.66

141.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.22 RON 5.79

42.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.69 RON 7.98

65.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.24 RON 5.85

79.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$21.12 RON 99.9

4.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.81 RON 3.83

259.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.81 RON 3.81

24.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.82 RON 27.52

-34.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.74 RON 8.25

-14.37%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$28.8K RON 136.4K

-7.44%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$25.5K RON 120.5K

4.84%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$158 RON 746

-36.99%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$9.04 RON 42.78

24.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$9.91 RON 46.91

75.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$37.90 RON 179

37.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$18.85 RON 89.2

-42.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$9.42 RON 44.56

-19.64%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$587 RON 2,778

-4.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$6,227 RON 29.5K

84.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$42.24 RON 200

48.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$42.48 RON 201

-32.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$98.0 RON 464

-1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$107 RON 508

-18.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$382 RON 1,807

90.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$285 RON 1,349

61.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$604 RON 2,858

246.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$449 RON 2,122

172.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,822 RON 8,619

89.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,269 RON 6,003

96.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$748 RON 3,539

-34.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.8

-18.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Turda: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Turda

$285 26.4% 38% $175

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Turda

$210 19.5% 21.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Turda

$177 16.4% 38% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Turda

$131 12.1% 5.2% $6.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Turda

$189 17.5% 55.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Turda

$57 5.3% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Turda

$31 2.9% 20.5% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $382 in Turda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Turda pays 52% 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 $32.00 in Turda. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $210, with Turda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇴 Turda

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

01:09 1:09 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

47,744

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Turda 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Turda

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 Turda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turda is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Turda. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $382 in Turda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $587 in Turda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,079 in Turda versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Turda but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Turda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Turda 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 Turda 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 Turda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.