Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcea and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $986 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
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Tulcea Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $986 in Tulcea versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tulcea $986
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,559 in Tulcea versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tulcea $1,559
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,132 in Tulcea versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tulcea $2,132
Phuket $3,154

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Tulcea 28% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.70 RON 56.2

$4.47 ฿151

161.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 RON 223

$32.41 ฿1,094

42.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 RON 37.83

$8.81 ฿297

-10.67%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.93

$2.83 ฿95.5

-26.86%

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

$2.12 RON 10.17

$0.87 ฿29.43

143.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.10

$0.49 ฿16.67

116.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.95

$2.56 ฿86.4

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.81

$3.68 ฿124

-44.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 RON 7.75

$1.66 ฿56.0

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RON 4.99

$1.46 ฿49.35

-28.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$1.50 ฿50.6

-4.00%

Eggs

$3.16 RON 15.17

$2.09 ฿70.5

51.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 36.11

$19.07 ฿644

-60.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 RON 33.10

$3.30 ฿111

108.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 RON 43.73

$10.91 ฿368

-16.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.48

$2.93 ฿99.0

-53.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$1.69 ฿57.1

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.84

$2.25 ฿75.8

-36.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 RON 9.59

$2.08 ฿70.1

-4.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$1.51 ฿51.0

-50.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 RON 3.36

$1.38 ฿46.56

-49.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.24

$1.07 ฿35.99

-37.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$0.52 ฿17.52

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.87

$4.20 ฿142

52.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.44

$18.79 ฿634

-66.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.83

$1.82 ฿61.5

-45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.83

$2.84 ฿95.9

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$1.45 ฿49.03

-26.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 RON 85.8

$56.7 ฿1,913

-68.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.09

$3.02 ฿102

-78.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.96

$1.02 ฿34.36

-39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 RON 30.57

$3.69 ฿125

72.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.36

$1.47 ฿49.81

18.37%

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

$28.1K RON 135.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

5.00%

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

$24.9K RON 119.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-6.73%

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

$134 RON 643

$96.4 ฿3,254

38.88%

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

$7.76 RON 37.29

$11.26 ฿380

-31.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.60 RON 41.32

$16.85 ฿569

-48.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.52 RON 151

$67.2 ฿2,270

-53.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 RON 79.8

$10.73 ฿362

54.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RON 40.00

$7.50 ฿253

10.93%

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

$319 RON 1,532

$476 ฿16.1K

-33.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,187 RON 15.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-71.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 RON 250

$62.4 ฿2,106

-16.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 RON 152

$28.41 ฿959

11.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 RON 438

$94.3 ฿3,184

-3.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 RON 460

$85.8 ฿2,898

11.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 RON 1,650

$716 ฿24.2K

-52.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 RON 1,315

$491 ฿16.6K

-44.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 RON 2,813

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-69.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 RON 2,397

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-65.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 RON 4,759

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-76.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$856 RON 4,112

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-71.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 RON 3,115

$502 ฿17.0K

29.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

5.57

22.98%

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

Last update for Tulcea: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulcea

$274 27.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 79.4% $217

Groceries & Markets

Tulcea

$197 20%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 34.8% $69

Eating Out

Tulcea

$169 17.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcea

$150 15.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 17.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcea

$122 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcea

$48 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 70.7% $34

Getting Around

Tulcea

$26 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 173% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $343 in Tulcea and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulcea pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Tulcea vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $266, with Tulcea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

22:43 10:43 PM

5 h ahead of Tulcea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,707

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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tulcea Phuket 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulcea
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

Tulcea vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 29% higher in Tulcea, 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: $343 in Tulcea versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $319 in Tulcea versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $986 in Tulcea versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tulcea but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tulcea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Tulcea 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.