Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hella and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,723 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Hella vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Hella $1,723
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,927 per month in Hella vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Hella $2,927
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,131 per month in Hella vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Hella $4,131
Phuket $3,115

Hella costs about 33% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hella sits 27% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.22 ISK 3,793

$4.39 ฿148

611.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 ISK 14.7K

$32.31 ฿1,090

275.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.24 ISK 3,310

$8.70 ฿294

213.10%

Cappuccino

$6.89 ISK 837

$2.72 ฿91.9

153.31%

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

$3.25 ISK 395

$0.93 ฿31.38

249.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ISK 375

$0.50 ฿16.85

516.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.16 ISK 1,721

$2.53 ฿85.4

459.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.30 ISK 1,495

$3.63 ฿122

238.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.74 ฿58.7

14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 ISK 522

$1.45 ฿48.93

196.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ISK 444

$1.50 ฿50.7

144.00%

Eggs

$7.27 ISK 883

$2.17 ฿73.3

235.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.85 ISK 2,654

$19.09 ฿644

14.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.10 ISK 2,928

$3.40 ฿115

608.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.15 ISK 4,999

$10.90 ฿368

277.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ISK 408

$2.94 ฿99.2

14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 ISK 343

$1.69 ฿57.1

67.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 ISK 390

$2.19 ฿74.0

46.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.56 ISK 798

$2.12 ฿71.6

209.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ISK 475

$1.46 ฿49.19

167.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$1.37 ฿46.14

23.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.64 ISK 442

$1.08 ฿36.29

237.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ISK 223

$0.55 ฿18.40

232.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 ISK 1,697

$4.43 ฿149

215.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.32 ISK 2,834

$18.25 ฿616

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 ISK 445

$1.77 ฿59.8

106.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ISK 424

$2.88 ฿97.2

21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.76 ISK 821

$1.51 ฿51.0

347.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ISK 334

$0.78 ฿26.17

252.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.8 ISK 9,813

$3.84 ฿129

2003.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.49 ฿50.2

40.94%

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

$67.9K ISK 8.2M

$26.9K ฿906.7K

152.45%

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

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

$26.3K ฿888.6K

113.53%

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

$96.8 ISK 11.8K

$97.8 ฿3,299

-1.00%

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

$32.49 ISK 3,948

$11.29 ฿381

187.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$17.19 ฿580

394.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$19.81 ISK 2,407

$7.43 ฿251

166.62%

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

$1,205 ISK 146.4K

$530 ฿17.9K

127.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$18.8K ฿633.5K

35.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$150 ISK 18.2K

$61.7 ฿2,080

143.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,112

$28.25 ฿953

136.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$185 ISK 22.5K

$96.0 ฿3,238

92.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$86.8 ฿2,928

190.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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 Hella: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hella

$619 35.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 56.9% $352

Eating Out

Hella

$535 31.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 77.6% $415

Clothing & Footwear

Hella

$294 17.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 58.3% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hella

$214 12.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 41.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Hella

$40 * 2.3%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 110% $44

Getting Around

Hella

$20 * 1.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 222% $46

Accommodation & Living

Hella

- * 0%

Phuket

$509 39.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Hella versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hella

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

7 h ahead of Hella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

79,308

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hella Phuket 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Hella
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

Hella vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Hella, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,584 per month in Hella and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Hella and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,205 per month in Hella and $530 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 $1,294, than in Hella at $1,723. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,723 in Hella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.