Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grimstad and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,179 in Grimstad, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Grimstad
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Grimstad Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Grimstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,179

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,179 in Grimstad versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Grimstad $2,179
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,734 in Grimstad versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Grimstad $3,734
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,290 in Grimstad versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Grimstad $5,290
Phuket $3,154

Living in Grimstad is roughly 70% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grimstad is 60% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.29 NOK 197

$4.47 ฿151

376.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 NOK 734

$32.41 ฿1,092

144.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.38 NOK 142

$8.81 ฿297

74.57%

Cappuccino

$4.87 NOK 45.06

$2.83 ฿95.3

72.08%

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

$4.20 NOK 38.82

$0.87 ฿29.37

382.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 NOK 31.51

$0.49 ฿16.64

595.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.76 NOK 109

$2.56 ฿86.2

359.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.54 NOK 97.5

$3.68 ฿124

186.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.65 NOK 24.48

$1.66 ฿55.9

59.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 NOK 34.55

$1.46 ฿49.25

156.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 NOK 29.94

$1.50 ฿50.4

116.00%

Eggs

$3.60 NOK 33.27

$2.09 ฿70.4

72.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 NOK 120

$19.07 ฿642

-32.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 NOK 133

$3.30 ฿111

337.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.57 NOK 227

$10.91 ฿368

125.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 NOK 20.10

$2.93 ฿98.7

-25.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 NOK 22.83

$1.69 ฿56.9

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 NOK 33.05

$2.25 ฿75.7

58.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 NOK 40.54

$2.08 ฿70.0

110.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.26

$1.51 ฿50.9

80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 NOK 27.00

$1.38 ฿46.47

111.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.25 NOK 30.05

$1.07 ฿35.91

203.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 NOK 17.18

$0.52 ฿17.49

257.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.23 NOK 178

$4.20 ฿142

357.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 NOK 151

$18.79 ฿633

-13.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 NOK 32.57

$1.82 ฿61.4

93.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 NOK 39.60

$2.84 ฿95.7

50.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 48.74

$1.45 ฿48.93

263.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 NOK 856

$56.7 ฿1,909

63.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.16 NOK 112

$3.02 ฿102

302.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.01

$1.02 ฿34.29

80.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.4 NOK 670

$3.69 ฿124

1862.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 NOK 21.79

$1.47 ฿49.70

60.54%

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

$50.2K NOK 464.2K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

87.39%

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

$45.0K NOK 416.7K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

68.76%

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

$314 NOK 2,900

$96.4 ฿3,247

225.42%

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

$34.50 NOK 319

$11.26 ฿380

206.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 NOK 516

$16.85 ฿568

231.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.72 NOK 404

$67.2 ฿2,266

-34.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$16.41 NOK 152

$7.50 ฿253

118.80%

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

$242 NOK 2,242

$476 ฿16.0K

-49.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K NOK 147.5K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

41.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.8 NOK 877

$62.4 ฿2,102

52.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 NOK 491

$28.41 ฿957

86.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 NOK 981

$94.3 ฿3,178

12.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 NOK 1,504

$85.8 ฿2,892

89.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$902 NOK 8,346

$716 ฿24.1K

26.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 NOK 5,041

$491 ฿16.5K

11.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 NOK 18.4K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 NOK 16.9K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

27.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,724 NOK 43.7K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

13.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,502 NOK 32.4K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

15.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,577 NOK 42.3K

$502 ฿16.9K

811.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.9

5.57

-12.03%

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

Last update for Grimstad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grimstad

$545 25%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 9.9% $54

Groceries & Markets

Grimstad

$446 20.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 40.3% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grimstad

$404 18.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 69.2% $279

Eating Out

Grimstad

$385 17.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 68.4% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Grimstad

$187 8.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35% $66

Getting Around

Grimstad

$135 6.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 47.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Grimstad

$77 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 7.4% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $902 in Grimstad and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grimstad pays about 9.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Grimstad vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $446 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Grimstad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

10:07 10:07 AM

6 h ahead of Grimstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,093

79,308

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.81 USD

100 NOK = 9.71 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.25 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.3 NOK (100 NOK = 9.71 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grimstad Phuket 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Grimstad
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

Grimstad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Grimstad is about 9.1 times higher, 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: $902 in Grimstad versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,179 per month in Grimstad versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 39% less than in Grimstad. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,179 in Grimstad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Grimstad. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, Grimstad and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Grimstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.