Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalmar and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,953 in Kalmar, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
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Kalmar Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,953 per month in Kalmar vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kalmar $1,953
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,895 per month in Kalmar vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kalmar $2,895
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,837 per month in Kalmar vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kalmar $3,837
Phuket $3,154

Kalmar costs about 53% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kalmar sits 44% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 SEK 152

$4.47 ฿151

243.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 SEK 704

$32.41 ฿1,092

119.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 SEK 104

$8.81 ฿297

18.84%

Cappuccino

$4.67 SEK 46.27

$2.83 ฿95.3

65.02%

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

$2.81 SEK 27.87

$0.87 ฿29.37

222.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 SEK 25.27

$0.49 ฿16.64

420.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.69 SEK 96.0

$2.56 ฿86.2

278.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.25 SEK 71.8

$3.68 ฿124

97.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 SEK 14.61

$1.66 ฿55.9

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 SEK 29.84

$1.46 ฿49.25

106.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 SEK 30.42

$1.50 ฿50.4

104.67%

Eggs

$4.65 SEK 46.08

$2.09 ฿70.4

122.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.58 SEK 164

$19.07 ฿642

-13.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 SEK 108

$3.30 ฿111

230.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.80 SEK 226

$10.91 ฿368

108.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 SEK 24.63

$2.93 ฿98.7

-15.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 SEK 27.38

$1.69 ฿56.9

63.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 SEK 35.35

$2.25 ฿75.7

58.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 SEK 44.18

$2.08 ฿70.0

114.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.57

$1.51 ฿50.9

10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 SEK 22.49

$1.38 ฿46.47

64.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 SEK 19.07

$1.07 ฿35.91

80.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 SEK 16.56

$0.52 ฿17.49

221.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 SEK 77.1

$4.20 ฿142

85.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 SEK 90.5

$18.79 ฿633

-51.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 19.13

$1.82 ฿61.4

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 SEK 25.19

$2.84 ฿95.7

-10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 SEK 31.79

$1.45 ฿48.93

121.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.4 SEK 776

$56.7 ฿1,909

38.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 SEK 99.4

$3.02 ฿102

232.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SEK 17.05

$1.02 ฿34.29

68.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$47.45 SEK 470

$3.69 ฿124

1185.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.88

$1.47 ฿49.70

16.33%

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

$30.2K SEK 298.8K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

12.69%

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

$29.3K SEK 290.4K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

9.88%

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

$144 SEK 1,430

$96.4 ฿3,247

49.89%

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

$27.58 SEK 273

$11.26 ฿380

144.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.34 SEK 320

$16.85 ฿568

91.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.33 SEK 300

$67.2 ฿2,266

-54.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.38 SEK 261

$10.73 ฿361

145.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 SEK 144

$7.50 ฿253

94.40%

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

$142 SEK 1,401

$476 ฿16.0K

-70.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 SEK 49.4K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-55.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.41 SEK 489

$62.4 ฿2,102

-20.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.31 SEK 439

$28.41 ฿957

55.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 SEK 784

$94.3 ฿3,178

-16.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 SEK 992

$85.8 ฿2,892

16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 SEK 8,992

$716 ฿24.1K

26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 SEK 7,699

$491 ฿16.5K

58.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-31.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-21.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-2.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,733 SEK 27.1K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-10.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,864 SEK 28.4K

$502 ฿16.9K

470.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

5.57

-29.44%

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

Last update for Kalmar: 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

Kalmar

$778 39.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 36.9% $287

Groceries & Markets

Kalmar

$384 19.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.7% $118

Eating Out

Kalmar

$295 15.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 58.7% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalmar

$204 10.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Kalmar

$123 6.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.8% $1

Getting Around

Kalmar

$110 5.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 35.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Kalmar

$59 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 38.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $908 in Kalmar 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 Kalmar are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Kalmar versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

6 h ahead of Kalmar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,170

79,308

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.1 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.9 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kalmar Phuket 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalmar
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

Kalmar vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,953 in Kalmar, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,930 per month in Kalmar and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $908 in Kalmar.

Kindergarten costs $142 per month in Kalmar and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Kalmar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Kalmar at $1,953. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kalmar 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,953 in Kalmar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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