Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keflavik and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,018 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
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Keflavik Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,018

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,018 in Keflavik versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Keflavik $3,018
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,529 in Keflavik versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Keflavik $4,529
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,041 in Keflavik versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Keflavik $6,041
Phuket $3,154

Living in Keflavik is roughly 136% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Keflavik is 122% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.11 ISK 2,927

$4.47 ฿151

439.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 ISK 14.7K

$32.41 ฿1,094

273.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.25 ISK 2,458

$8.81 ฿297

129.85%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ISK 513

$2.83 ฿95.4

49.12%

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

$3.36 ISK 408

$0.87 ฿29.42

286.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ISK 368

$0.49 ฿16.66

518.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 ISK 1,001

$2.56 ฿86.3

222.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 ISK 990

$3.68 ฿124

121.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 256

$1.66 ฿56.0

27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 ISK 512

$1.46 ฿49.32

188.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$1.50 ฿50.5

66.67%

Eggs

$6.55 ISK 796

$2.09 ฿70.5

213.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ISK 2,391

$19.07 ฿643

3.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.90 ISK 2,902

$3.30 ฿111

624.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.71 ISK 5,063

$10.91 ฿368

282.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 ISK 296

$2.93 ฿98.9

-16.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ISK 292

$1.69 ฿57.0

42.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$2.25 ฿75.8

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ISK 504

$2.08 ฿70.1

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 ISK 378

$1.51 ฿51.0

106.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 199

$1.38 ฿46.54

18.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.62 ISK 440

$1.07 ฿35.97

238.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 219

$0.52 ฿17.51

248.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.85 ISK 1,681

$4.20 ฿142

229.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.32 ISK 1,981

$18.79 ฿634

-13.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.73 ISK 453

$1.82 ฿61.5

104.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ISK 341

$2.84 ฿95.9

-1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.68 ISK 447

$1.45 ฿49.00

153.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 ISK 9,366

$56.7 ฿1,912

36.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 ISK 771

$3.02 ฿102

110.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 ISK 314

$1.02 ฿34.34

153.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.2 ISK 9,738

$3.69 ฿125

2073.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.47 ฿49.78

36.05%

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

$68.2K ISK 8.3M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

154.62%

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

$55.2K ISK 6.7M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

106.83%

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

$95.8 ISK 11.6K

$96.4 ฿3,252

-0.61%

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

$32.13 ISK 3,900

$11.26 ฿380

185.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.5 ISK 10.3K

$16.85 ฿569

401.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.7 ISK 9,316

$67.2 ฿2,269

14.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$19.58 ISK 2,377

$7.50 ฿253

161.07%

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

$406 ISK 49.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

-14.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K ISK 3.2M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

134.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$62.4 ฿2,105

137.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.8 ISK 8,104

$28.41 ฿959

134.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$184 ISK 22.4K

$94.3 ฿3,182

95.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$190 ISK 23.1K

$85.8 ฿2,896

121.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 ISK 226.0K

$716 ฿24.2K

160.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 ISK 165.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

176.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 ISK 306.7K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ISK 247.7K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

42.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,819 ISK 463.6K

$502 ฿17.0K

660.34%

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 Keflavik: 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

Keflavik

$1.4K 45%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.9% $868

Groceries & Markets

Keflavik

$566 18.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 53% $300

Eating Out

Keflavik

$387 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 68.6% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Keflavik

$265 8.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keflavik

$212 7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41.4% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Keflavik

$116 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 29.1% $34

Getting Around

Keflavik

$111 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 36.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,862 in Keflavik and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keflavik pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $121 in Keflavik vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $566 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

13:08 1:08 PM

7 h ahead of Keflavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.38 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 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).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Keflavik Phuket 10,650 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Keflavik
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

Keflavik vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Keflavik. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Keflavik is about 7.6 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: $1,862 in Keflavik versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 27% less than in Keflavik. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $406 in Keflavik versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,018 in Keflavik, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Keflavik. 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, Keflavik 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 58% less than in Keflavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.