Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sighisoara and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighisoara: $935 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 Sighisoara
Learn more

Sighisoara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Sighisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Sighisoara versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Sighisoara $935
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,507 in Sighisoara versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Sighisoara $1,507
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,079 in Sighisoara versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Sighisoara $2,079
Phuket $2,845

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 RON 49.97

$4.40 ฿147

140.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.09 RON 176

$32.26 ฿1,078

14.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.36 RON 39.54

$8.76 ฿293

-4.57%

Cappuccino

$2.14 RON 10.14

$2.83 ฿94.5

-24.38%

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

$2.09 RON 9.87

$0.90 ฿30.14

132.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 RON 10.97

$0.47 ฿15.56

393.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.27

$2.55 ฿85.2

-14.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 RON 13.22

$3.83 ฿128

-27.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$1.73 ฿57.7

-13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 RON 5.57

$1.47 ฿49.11

-19.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.75

$1.51 ฿50.6

-5.30%

Eggs

$3.51 RON 16.59

$2.17 ฿72.7

61.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 RON 34.69

$19.70 ฿658

-62.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.32 RON 34.66

$3.34 ฿112

119.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 RON 35.16

$11.16 ฿373

-33.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 RON 4.86

$2.85 ฿95.1

-63.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.80

$1.70 ฿56.9

-2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.66

$2.19 ฿73.3

-16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 RON 11.50

$2.05 ฿68.4

18.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 RON 3.45

$1.45 ฿48.57

-49.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$1.38 ฿46.16

-31.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 RON 4.71

$1.07 ฿35.69

-6.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 RON 4.79

$0.51 ฿16.91

98.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 RON 24.43

$4.26 ฿142

21.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$18.58 ฿621

-59.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.00

$1.78 ฿59.7

-28.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 RON 7.95

$2.85 ฿95.2

-41.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 RON 3.07

$2.26 ฿75.6

-71.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 RON 3.83

$3.01 ฿101

-73.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 RON 4.66

$1.06 ฿35.34

-6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 RON 40.77

$3.86 ฿129

123.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 RON 8.17

$1.45 ฿48.45

19.31%

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

$28.2K RON 133.4K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

7.09%

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

$24.3K RON 115.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-9.82%

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

$59.0 RON 279

$96.4 ฿3,221

-38.74%

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

$8.38 RON 39.64

$11.04 ฿369

-24.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.35 RON 39.53

$17.14 ฿573

-51.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 RON 245

$52.2 ฿1,744

-0.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 RON 45.85

$7.81 ฿261

24.07%

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

$585 RON 2,767

$556 ฿18.6K

5.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,663 RON 45.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-16.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 RON 415

$64.2 ฿2,146

36.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.36 RON 224

$28.69 ฿959

65.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 RON 468

$95.4 ฿3,187

3.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 RON 511

$88.0 ฿2,940

22.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$319 RON 1,510

$737 ฿24.6K

-56.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 RON 1,179

$462 ฿15.5K

-46.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 RON 2,530

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-74.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 RON 2,316

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-59.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,554 RON 7,355

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-55.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,059 RON 5,010

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-58.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 RON 2,817

$501 ฿16.7K

18.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.57

19.39%

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

Last update for Sighisoara: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sighisoara

$249 26.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 85.5% $213

Groceries & Markets

Sighisoara

$207 22.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 29.9% $62

Eating Out

Sighisoara

$169 18.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 28.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Sighisoara

$154 16.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sighisoara

$76 8.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 64.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sighisoara

$71 7.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 4.7% $3.3

Getting Around

Sighisoara

$8.3 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 374% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $319 in Sighisoara and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sighisoara pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Sighisoara vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $269, with Sighisoara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sighisoara

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

4 h ahead of Sighisoara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,570

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 24, 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 24, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sighisoara Phuket 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sighisoara
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

Sighisoara vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sighisoara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Sighisoara, 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: $319 in Sighisoara versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $585 in Sighisoara versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sighisoara – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $935 in Sighisoara versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sighisoara but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sighisoara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sighisoara 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, Sighisoara 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 Sighisoara 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.