Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akranes and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,755 in Akranes, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

181

Cost of Living Index in Akranes
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Akranes Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Akranes

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,755

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,755 in Akranes versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Akranes $3,755
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,928 in Akranes versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Akranes $5,928
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,101 in Akranes versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Akranes $8,101
Phuket $2,867

Living in Akranes is roughly 211% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Akranes is 178% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.83 ISK 3,740

$4.58 ฿153

573.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$32.48 ฿1,086

281.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.33 ISK 3,315

$8.55 ฿286

219.65%

Cappuccino

$6.00 ISK 728

$2.72 ฿91.0

120.59%

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

$3.15 ISK 383

$0.94 ฿31.25

235.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ISK 301

$0.49 ฿16.39

406.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.82 ISK 1,313

$2.59 ฿86.6

317.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 ISK 1,008

$3.83 ฿128

116.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 256

$1.74 ฿58.1

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.43 ฿47.82

39.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 ISK 450

$1.53 ฿51.0

142.48%

Eggs

$6.05 ISK 734

$2.17 ฿72.7

178.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.76 ISK 2,518

$19.15 ฿640

8.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.98 ISK 2,909

$3.30 ฿110

626.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.92 ISK 5,085

$11.14 ฿372

276.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ISK 396

$2.95 ฿98.5

10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 ISK 342

$1.68 ฿56.1

67.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 ISK 379

$2.30 ฿76.8

35.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 ISK 580

$2.13 ฿71.3

124.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 ISK 463

$1.53 ฿51.1

149.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ISK 200

$1.36 ฿45.55

21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 ISK 448

$1.12 ฿37.44

229.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ISK 224

$0.55 ฿18.24

234.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.83 ISK 1,678

$4.26 ฿142

224.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.02 ISK 2,913

$18.19 ฿608

32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ISK 353

$1.74 ฿58.2

67.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ISK 253

$2.79 ฿93.3

-25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.71 ISK 450

$2.22 ฿74.1

67.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 ISK 8,931

$22.06 ฿737

233.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ISK 812

$2.91 ฿97.3

129.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ISK 145

$1.01 ฿33.79

18.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.0 ISK 9,704

$3.83 ฿128

1988.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 ISK 245

$1.49 ฿49.85

35.57%

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

$49.8K ISK 6.0M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

86.60%

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

$52.8K ISK 6.4M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

97.86%

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

$94.6 ISK 11.5K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-4.80%

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

$32.27 ISK 3,914

$11.28 ฿377

186.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.0 ISK 10.5K

$17.36 ฿580

401.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 ISK 12.7K

$52.3 ฿1,747

99.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$19.49 ISK 2,364

$7.57 ฿253

157.46%

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

$1,197 ISK 145.2K

$558 ฿18.7K

114.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

128.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 ISK 17.8K

$62.9 ฿2,102

133.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ISK 8,151

$28.58 ฿955

135.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$182 ISK 22.1K

$96.1 ฿3,213

89.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$88.1 ฿2,943

187.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,026 ISK 367.0K

$729 ฿24.4K

314.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 ISK 234.6K

$460 ฿15.4K

320.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,979 ISK 603.9K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

137.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,759 ISK 455.9K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

207.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,792 ISK 702.5K

$493 ฿16.5K

1074.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

5.57

58.17%

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

Last update for Akranes: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Akranes

$1.9K 51.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 76.2% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Akranes

$576 15.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 53.6% $309

Eating Out

Akranes

$494 13.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 75.4% $373

Clothing & Footwear

Akranes

$292 7.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 57.6% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akranes

$214 5.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 40.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Akranes

$143 3.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 52.9% $76

Getting Around

Akranes

$101 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 61.6% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,026 in Akranes and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akranes pays 1075% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $124 in Akranes vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $576 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Akranes

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

06:28 6:28 AM

7 h ahead of Akranes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,800

79,308

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Akranes Phuket 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Akranes
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

Akranes vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 211% lower than in Akranes. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1075% higher in Akranes, 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: $3,026 in Akranes versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,755 per month in Akranes versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 211% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 234% less than in Akranes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,755 in Akranes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Akranes. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Akranes 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 211% less than in Akranes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.