Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hafnarfjordur and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,853 in Hafnarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
Phuket, Thailand
Hafnarfjordur
🇮🇸 Iceland
$3,853
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,853 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Hafnarfjordur $3,853
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $5,410 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Hafnarfjordur $5,410
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $6,967 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Hafnarfjordur $6,967
  • Phuket $3,154

Hafnarfjordur costs about 202% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hafnarfjordur sits 183% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$31.04 ISK 3,768
$4.47 ฿151
594.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$125 ISK 15.1K
$32.41 ฿1,094
284.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.40 ISK 1,991
$8.81 ฿297
86.15%
Cappuccino
$6.71 ISK 814
$2.83 ฿95.4
137.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 ISK 405
$0.87 ฿29.42
282.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 ISK 382
$0.49 ฿16.66
540.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$14.02 ISK 1,703
$2.56 ฿86.3
447.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.11 ISK 1,470
$3.68 ฿124
229.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 ISK 203
$1.66 ฿56.0
0.60%
White Bread (500g)
$4.21 ISK 511
$1.46 ฿49.32
188.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 ISK 450
$1.50 ฿50.5
147.33%
Eggs
$7.26 ISK 881
$2.09 ฿70.5
247.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.51 ISK 2,611
$19.07 ฿643
12.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.40 ISK 2,962
$3.30 ฿111
639.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.76 ISK 5,070
$10.91 ฿368
282.77%
Apples (1kg)
$3.24 ISK 394
$2.93 ฿98.9
10.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.48 ISK 301
$1.69 ฿57.0
46.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.19 ISK 388
$2.25 ฿75.8
41.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.41 ISK 779
$2.08 ฿70.1
208.17%
Potato (1kg)
$3.93 ISK 477
$1.51 ฿51.0
160.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 ISK 200
$1.38 ฿46.54
18.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.69 ISK 448
$1.07 ฿35.97
244.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ISK 221
$0.52 ฿17.51
250.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.04 ISK 1,705
$4.20 ฿142
234.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$24.05 ISK 2,920
$18.79 ฿634
27.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.53 ISK 428
$1.82 ฿61.5
93.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 ISK 411
$2.84 ฿95.9
19.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$5.10 ISK 620
$1.45 ฿49.00
251.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$85.0 ISK 10.3K
$56.7 ฿1,912
50.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.92 ISK 840
$3.02 ฿102
129.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.84 ISK 345
$1.02 ฿34.34
178.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$80.8 ISK 9,811
$3.69 ฿125
2089.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 ISK 243
$1.47 ฿49.78
36.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$68.7K ISK 8.3M
$26.8K ฿903.7K
156.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.8K ISK 6.8M
$26.7K ฿900.8K
108.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.4 ISK 8,419
$96.4 ฿3,252
-28.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.65 ISK 3,964
$11.26 ฿380
189.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$85.0 ISK 10.3K
$16.85 ฿569
404.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.1 ISK 7,900
$67.2 ฿2,269
-3.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.08 ISK 2,073
$7.50 ฿253
127.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,172 ISK 142.3K
$476 ฿16.1K
146.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.9K ISK 3.1M
$11.3K ฿380.1K
129.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$125 ISK 15.1K
$62.4 ฿2,105
100.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$67.1 ISK 8,150
$28.41 ฿959
136.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 ISK 15.1K
$94.3 ฿3,182
32.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$246 ISK 29.9K
$85.8 ฿2,896
187.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,496 ISK 303.1K
$716 ฿24.2K
248.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,075 ISK 251.8K
$491 ฿16.6K
322.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,232 ISK 392.3K
$1,927 ฿65.0K
67.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,670 ISK 324.2K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
86.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,011 ISK 851.1K
$4,175 ฿140.9K
67.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,014 ISK 851.6K
$3,045 ฿102.8K
130.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hafnarfjordur
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,674 ISK 567.4K
$502 ฿17.0K
830.55%
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 Hafnarfjordur: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hafnarfjordur
$2.1K
Phuket
$491 76.3% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Hafnarfjordur
$615
Phuket
$266 56.7% $348
Eating Out
Hafnarfjordur
$498
Phuket
$122 75.6% $377
Clothing & Footwear
Hafnarfjordur
$253
Phuket
$122 51.9% $131
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hafnarfjordur
$187
Phuket
$124 33.4% $63
Getting Around
Hafnarfjordur
$127
Phuket
$71 44.2% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Hafnarfjordur
$99
Phuket
$82 17.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,496 in Hafnarfjordur versus $716 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 in Hafnarfjordur are about 9.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $125 in Hafnarfjordur versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $615 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇸 Hafnarfjordur
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
04:04 4:04 AM
11:04 11:04 AM
7 h ahead of Hafnarfjordur
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
31,525
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hafnarfjordur Phuket 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hafnarfjordur
  • 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
Hafnarfjordur vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hafnarfjordur or Phuket?
Hafnarfjordur costs about 202% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Hafnarfjordur and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,780 per month in Hafnarfjordur and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Hafnarfjordur or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $2,496 in Hafnarfjordur.
How much does it cost to live in Hafnarfjordur compared to Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,853 in Hafnarfjordur and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 67% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Hafnarfjordur compared to Phuket?
Public transport costs about 33% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Hafnarfjordur or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Hafnarfjordur at $3,853. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hafnarfjordur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
How safe is Hafnarfjordur compared to Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Hafnarfjordur or to Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hafnarfjordur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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