Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Jiu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $966 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$966

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $966 in Targu Jiu versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Targu Jiu $966
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,502 in Targu Jiu versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Targu Jiu $1,502
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,038 in Targu Jiu versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Targu Jiu $2,038
Phuket $3,154

Living in Targu Jiu costs roughly 24% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Targu Jiu 29% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.60 RON 70.2

$4.47 ฿151

226.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 RON 277

$32.41 ฿1,094

77.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.80

$8.81 ฿297

-17.82%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.10

$2.83 ฿95.5

25.80%

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

$1.02 RON 4.93

$0.87 ฿29.43

17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RON 10.64

$0.49 ฿16.67

351.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 RON 17.66

$2.56 ฿86.4

43.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 RON 20.32

$3.68 ฿124

14.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.03

$1.66 ฿56.0

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 RON 6.17

$1.46 ฿49.35

-12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RON 8.49

$1.50 ฿50.6

18.00%

Eggs

$2.75 RON 13.21

$2.09 ฿70.5

31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 RON 35.63

$19.07 ฿644

-61.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 RON 13.99

$3.30 ฿111

-11.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 RON 33.40

$10.91 ฿368

-36.30%

Apples (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.38

$2.93 ฿99.0

-68.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.17

$1.69 ฿57.1

-11.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.60

$2.25 ฿75.8

-48.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 RON 5.84

$2.08 ฿70.1

-41.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.97

$1.51 ฿51.0

-45.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$1.38 ฿46.56

-46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$1.07 ฿35.99

-42.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 RON 2.40

$0.52 ฿17.52

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.21 RON 25.02

$4.20 ฿142

24.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.00 RON 14.42

$18.79 ฿634

-84.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 RON 3.93

$1.82 ฿61.5

-54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.16

$2.84 ฿95.9

-62.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 RON 3.12

$3.02 ฿102

-78.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$1.02 ฿34.36

-40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 RON 30.69

$3.69 ฿125

73.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.30

$1.47 ฿49.81

31.29%

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

$28.8K RON 138.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

7.51%

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

$25.9K RON 124.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-3.12%

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

$196 RON 943

$96.4 ฿3,254

103.75%

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

$6.01 RON 28.87

$11.26 ฿380

-46.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.32 RON 44.78

$16.85 ฿569

-44.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 RON 151

$67.2 ฿2,270

-53.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 RON 40.08

$7.50 ฿253

11.20%

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

$676 RON 3,247

$476 ฿16.1K

41.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K RON 68.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

27.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.38 RON 237

$62.4 ฿2,106

-20.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.42 RON 122

$28.41 ฿959

-10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.7 RON 248

$94.3 ฿3,184

-45.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 RON 405

$85.8 ฿2,898

-1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 RON 1,698

$716 ฿24.2K

-50.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 RON 1,119

$491 ฿16.6K

-52.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,295

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-75.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 RON 1,937

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-71.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,555 RON 12.3K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-38.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 RON 2,490

$502 ฿17.0K

3.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Jiu

$233 24.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 111% $258

Eating Out

Targu Jiu

$221 22.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Jiu

$212 21.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41.2% $87

Groceries & Markets

Targu Jiu

$154 16%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 72.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Jiu

$95 9.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Jiu

$48 5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 70.7% $34

Getting Around

Targu Jiu

$3.7 * 0.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1808% $67

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 $353 in Targu Jiu and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Targu Jiu pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58 in Targu Jiu vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $154 vs $266, with Targu Jiu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

5 h ahead of Targu Jiu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,504

79,308

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Targu Jiu Phuket 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Targu Jiu
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

Targu Jiu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Jiu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Targu Jiu, 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: $353 in Targu Jiu versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $676 in Targu Jiu versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $58 in Targu Jiu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Targu Jiu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.