Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,727 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,727 per month in Karlstad vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Karlstad $1,727
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,665 per month in Karlstad vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Karlstad $2,665
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,603 per month in Karlstad vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Karlstad $3,603
Phuket $3,154

Karlstad costs about 35% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Karlstad sits 27% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 SEK 149

$4.47 ฿151

238.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 SEK 790

$32.41 ฿1,093

148.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 SEK 98.9

$8.81 ฿297

14.30%

Cappuccino

$4.86 SEK 47.68

$2.83 ฿95.4

71.73%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.01

$0.87 ฿29.41

181.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.25

$0.49 ฿16.65

340.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.3

$2.56 ฿86.3

215.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 SEK 64.7

$3.68 ฿124

79.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.66 ฿55.9

-12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 SEK 27.80

$1.46 ฿49.31

93.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.14

$1.50 ฿50.5

145.33%

Eggs

$4.37 SEK 42.85

$2.09 ฿70.5

109.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$19.07 ฿643

-46.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.96 SEK 137

$3.30 ฿111

323.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 SEK 174

$10.91 ฿368

62.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 28.91

$2.93 ฿98.9

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.35

$1.69 ฿57.0

58.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 29.71

$2.25 ฿75.8

34.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 SEK 53.0

$2.08 ฿70.0

159.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 SEK 18.80

$1.51 ฿51.0

27.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.84

$1.38 ฿46.52

24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 25.87

$1.07 ฿35.96

146.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 SEK 12.74

$0.52 ฿17.51

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$4.20 ฿142

65.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$18.79 ฿634

-45.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 SEK 23.79

$1.82 ฿61.5

32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 19.98

$2.84 ฿95.8

-28.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 30.70

$1.45 ฿48.98

115.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 SEK 789

$56.7 ฿1,912

41.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 SEK 53.6

$3.02 ฿102

80.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.67

$1.02 ฿34.33

26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 SEK 592

$3.69 ฿125

1536.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.47 ฿49.76

17.01%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

21.92%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

26.45%

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

$99.4 SEK 975

$96.4 ฿3,251

3.14%

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

$15.73 SEK 154

$11.26 ฿380

39.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 SEK 429

$16.85 ฿568

159.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 SEK 444

$67.2 ฿2,268

-32.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 SEK 163

$10.73 ฿362

55.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 SEK 138

$7.50 ฿253

87.73%

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

$126 SEK 1,236

$476 ฿16.1K

-73.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,037

$62.4 ฿2,104

69.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 SEK 391

$28.41 ฿958

40.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 SEK 744

$94.3 ฿3,181

-19.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,384

$85.8 ฿2,895

64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,518

$716 ฿24.2K

21.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 SEK 5,638

$491 ฿16.6K

17.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-38.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 SEK 8,504

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-39.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-7.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-8.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

$502 ฿16.9K

537.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

5.57

-26.57%

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

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlstad

$575 33.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 14.6% $84

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.1% $104

Eating Out

Karlstad

$282 16.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.8% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$163 9.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 25.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$159 9.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 21.7% $34

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 32.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$73 4.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 12% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Karlstad 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 Karlstad are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

03:45 3:45 AM

6 h ahead of Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

79,308

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karlstad Phuket 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlstad
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

Karlstad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karlstad is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,590 per month in Karlstad 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 $868 in Karlstad.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,727 in Karlstad and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 26% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Karlstad at $1,727. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlstad 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 $1,727 in Karlstad. 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, Karlstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.