Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baerum and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,124 in Baerum, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Baerum
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Baerum Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Baerum

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,124

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,124 per month in Baerum vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Baerum $3,124
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $4,846 per month in Baerum vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Baerum $4,846
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $6,568 per month in Baerum vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Baerum $6,568
Phuket $2,867

Baerum costs about 159% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Baerum sits 131% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 NOK 200

$4.58 ฿153

363.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$127 NOK 1,192

$32.48 ฿1,086

289.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.70 NOK 148

$8.55 ฿286

83.63%

Cappuccino

$6.06 NOK 57.1

$2.72 ฿91.0

122.79%

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

$4.34 NOK 40.82

$0.94 ฿31.25

361.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 NOK 32.42

$0.49 ฿16.39

602.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.46 NOK 108

$2.59 ฿86.6

342.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.59 NOK 119

$3.83 ฿128

228.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 NOK 22.74

$1.74 ฿58.1

39.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 NOK 34.04

$1.43 ฿47.82

153.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 NOK 43.27

$1.53 ฿51.0

200.65%

Eggs

$5.59 NOK 52.7

$2.17 ฿72.7

157.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 NOK 96.9

$19.15 ฿640

-46.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.50 NOK 146

$3.30 ฿110

369.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.54 NOK 297

$11.14 ฿372

183.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 NOK 24.37

$2.95 ฿98.5

-12.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 NOK 19.15

$1.68 ฿56.1

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 NOK 20.12

$2.30 ฿76.8

-6.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 NOK 38.35

$2.13 ฿71.3

91.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 NOK 15.50

$1.53 ฿51.1

7.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 NOK 26.49

$1.36 ฿45.55

106.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 NOK 28.44

$1.12 ฿37.44

169.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 NOK 22.87

$0.55 ฿18.24

341.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.05 NOK 179

$4.26 ฿142

347.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.33 NOK 154

$18.19 ฿608

-10.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 NOK 32.06

$1.74 ฿58.2

95.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 NOK 38.85

$2.79 ฿93.3

48.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.33 NOK 40.76

$2.22 ฿74.1

95.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.97 NOK 113

$2.91 ฿97.3

311.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 NOK 17.72

$1.01 ฿33.79

86.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.2 NOK 651

$3.83 ฿128

1705.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.79

$1.49 ฿49.85

48.32%

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

$28.3K NOK 266.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

6.22%

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

$24.7K NOK 232.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-7.68%

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

$335 NOK 3,149

$99.4 ฿3,321

236.63%

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

$33.08 NOK 311

$11.28 ฿377

193.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NOK 495

$17.36 ฿580

202.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 NOK 484

$52.3 ฿1,747

-1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 NOK 150

$7.57 ฿253

110.96%

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

$233 NOK 2,194

$558 ฿18.7K

-58.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K NOK 144.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

33.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 NOK 927

$62.9 ฿2,102

56.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 NOK 551

$28.58 ฿955

104.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 NOK 1,248

$96.1 ฿3,213

37.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,450

$88.1 ฿2,943

74.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 NOK 16.4K

$729 ฿24.4K

138.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 NOK 14.2K

$460 ฿15.4K

228.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,459 NOK 32.6K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

65.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 NOK 27.4K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

138.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K NOK 101.5K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

211.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,916 NOK 93.3K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

298.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,319 NOK 50.1K

$493 ฿16.5K

978.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

5.57

-17.41%

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

Last update for Baerum: 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

Baerum

$1.5K 48.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 69.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Baerum

$468 15%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 42.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baerum

$420 13.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 69.5% $292

Eating Out

Baerum

$403 12.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 69.9% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Baerum

$200 6.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 37.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Baerum

$83 2.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 19.1% $16

Getting Around

Baerum

$39 * 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 0.5% $0.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,742 in Baerum versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 979% higher in Baerum, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $127 in Baerum versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Baerum

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

5 h ahead of Baerum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,136

79,308

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 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 NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baerum Phuket 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Baerum
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

Baerum vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Baerum is pricier by about 159%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,686 per month in Baerum and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,124 in Baerum and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 159%.

Kindergarten costs $233 per month in Baerum and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Baerum at $3,124. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Baerum it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Baerum makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.