Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Satu Mare and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $930 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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Satu Mare and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Satu Mare and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $930 in Satu Mare versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Satu Mare $930
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,406 in Satu Mare versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Satu Mare $1,406
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,883 in Satu Mare versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Satu Mare $1,883
Phuket $2,845

Living in Satu Mare costs roughly 23% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 RON 38.81

$4.40 ฿147

86.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.51 RON 154

$32.26 ฿1,078

0.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 RON 30.67

$8.76 ฿293

-26.03%

Cappuccino

$2.50 RON 11.81

$2.83 ฿94.5

-11.66%

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

$1.49 RON 7.04

$0.90 ฿30.14

65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RON 6.07

$0.47 ฿15.56

172.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$2.55 ฿85.2

-26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 RON 11.55

$3.83 ฿128

-36.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 RON 5.33

$1.73 ฿57.7

-34.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 RON 5.04

$1.47 ฿49.11

-27.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$1.51 ฿50.6

-25.17%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.71

$2.17 ฿72.7

23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 RON 34.79

$19.70 ฿658

-62.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.53 RON 35.63

$3.34 ฿112

125.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 RON 51.2

$11.16 ฿373

-2.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.19

$2.85 ฿95.1

-61.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.15

$1.70 ฿56.9

-23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.04

$2.19 ฿73.3

-41.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.75

$2.05 ฿68.4

-30.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 RON 5.61

$1.45 ฿48.57

-17.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.48

$1.38 ฿46.16

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.14

$1.07 ฿35.69

-17.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RON 3.34

$0.51 ฿16.91

39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 RON 26.38

$4.26 ฿142

30.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 RON 29.29

$18.58 ฿621

-66.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.78 ฿59.7

-30.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.06

$2.85 ฿95.2

-40.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 RON 2.56

$2.26 ฿75.6

-76.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.41 RON 111

$22.10 ฿738

5.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$3.01 ฿101

-73.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.03

$1.06 ฿35.34

-19.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.10 RON 38.34

$3.86 ฿129

109.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 RON 7.47

$1.45 ฿48.45

8.97%

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

$22.8K RON 107.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-13.42%

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

$25.3K RON 119.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-6.25%

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

$126 RON 597

$96.4 ฿3,221

30.87%

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

$7.14 RON 33.79

$11.04 ฿369

-35.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.25 RON 34.30

$17.14 ฿573

-57.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.55 RON 197

$52.2 ฿1,744

-20.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.68 RON 50.5

$11.16 ฿373

-4.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 RON 29.29

$7.81 ฿261

-20.74%

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

$155 RON 733

$556 ฿18.6K

-72.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,829 RON 18.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-66.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 RON 282

$64.2 ฿2,146

-7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.51 RON 135

$28.69 ฿959

-0.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 RON 405

$95.4 ฿3,187

-10.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 RON 328

$88.0 ฿2,940

-21.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 RON 1,524

$737 ฿24.6K

-56.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 RON 1,229

$462 ฿15.5K

-43.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 RON 3,060

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-69.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 RON 1,938

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-65.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,007 RON 4,765

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-71.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 RON 4,995

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-58.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 RON 3,075

$501 ฿16.7K

29.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.05

5.57

26.57%

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

Last update for Satu Mare: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Satu Mare

$260 27.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 78.1% $203

Groceries & Markets

Satu Mare

$195 21%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 37.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Satu Mare

$141 15.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 11.4% $16

Eating Out

Satu Mare

$140 15.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 13.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Satu Mare

$109 11.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Satu Mare

$54 5.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 25.7% $14

Getting Around

Satu Mare

$31 3.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 28.7% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $322 in Satu Mare and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Satu Mare pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Satu Mare vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $269, with Satu Mare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

4 h ahead of Satu Mare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,411

79,308

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Satu Mare Phuket 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Satu Mare
Phuket

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

Satu Mare vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Satu Mare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Satu Mare, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $322 in Satu Mare versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $155 in Satu Mare versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $930 in Satu Mare versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Satu Mare but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Satu Mare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Satu Mare 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, Satu Mare and Phuket 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 Satu Mare 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.