Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Mures and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Targu Mures versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Targu Mures $938
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,461 in Targu Mures versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Targu Mures $1,461
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,984 in Targu Mures versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Targu Mures $1,984
Phuket $2,845

Living in Targu Mures costs roughly 22% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 RON 43.15

$4.40 ฿147

107.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.19 RON 200

$32.26 ฿1,078

30.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 RON 37.83

$8.76 ฿293

-8.68%

Cappuccino

$2.17 RON 10.27

$2.83 ฿94.5

-23.32%

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

$1.44 RON 6.83

$0.90 ฿30.14

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$0.47 ฿15.56

161.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 RON 9.04

$2.55 ฿85.2

-25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 RON 10.68

$3.83 ฿128

-40.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.73 ฿57.7

-22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$1.47 ฿49.11

-27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.87

$1.51 ฿50.6

-3.97%

Eggs

$2.88 RON 13.65

$2.17 ฿72.7

32.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 RON 37.84

$19.70 ฿658

-59.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 RON 27.47

$3.34 ฿112

73.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 RON 47.68

$11.16 ฿373

-9.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$2.85 ฿95.1

-64.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.29

$1.70 ฿56.9

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$2.19 ฿73.3

-36.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$2.05 ฿68.4

-7.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$1.45 ฿48.57

-46.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 RON 2.61

$1.38 ฿46.16

-60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$1.07 ฿35.69

-25.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.51 ฿16.91

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 RON 27.61

$4.26 ฿142

37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 RON 34.98

$18.58 ฿621

-60.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.78 ฿59.7

-39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 RON 7.32

$2.85 ฿95.2

-45.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$2.26 ฿75.6

-70.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.06 RON 119

$22.10 ฿738

13.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.14

$3.01 ฿101

-70.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.06 ฿35.34

-19.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 RON 35.32

$3.86 ฿129

93.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$1.45 ฿48.45

24.83%

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

$28.1K RON 133.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

6.76%

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

$25.3K RON 119.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-6.03%

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

$101 RON 477

$96.4 ฿3,221

4.57%

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

$9.37 RON 44.35

$11.04 ฿369

-15.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.19 RON 38.75

$17.14 ฿573

-52.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.30 RON 200

$52.2 ฿1,744

-18.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 RON 87.0

$11.16 ฿373

64.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 RON 29.67

$7.81 ฿261

-19.72%

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

$1,330 RON 6,291

$556 ฿18.6K

139.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 RON 248

$64.2 ฿2,146

-18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.80 RON 141

$28.69 ฿959

3.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 RON 363

$95.4 ฿3,187

-19.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 RON 366

$88.0 ฿2,940

-12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 RON 1,964

$737 ฿24.6K

-43.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 RON 1,355

$462 ฿15.5K

-38.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 RON 3,077

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-68.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,232

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-60.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,238 RON 10.6K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-35.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,487 RON 7,035

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-41.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$991 RON 4,687

$501 ฿16.7K

97.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

5.57

34.11%

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

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Mures

$286 30.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 61.4% $176

Groceries & Markets

Targu Mures

$192 20.5%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 40% $77

Eating Out

Targu Mures

$148 15.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 17.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Mures

$118 12.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 5.2% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Mures

$106 11.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 16.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Mures

$55 5.8%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 23.6% $13

Getting Around

Targu Mures

$33 3.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 20.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Targu Mures and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Targu Mures pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Targu Mures vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $269, with Targu Mures cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

4 h ahead of Targu Mures

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,290

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

Targu Mures Phuket 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Targu Mures is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Targu Mures, 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: $415 in Targu Mures versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,330 in Targu Mures 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 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $938 in Targu Mures versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Targu Mures but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Mures the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Targu Mures 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, Targu Mures 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 Targu Mures 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.