Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiruna and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,747 in Kiruna, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Kiruna
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Kiruna Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Kiruna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,747

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,747 per month in Kiruna vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Kiruna $1,747
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,915 per month in Kiruna vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Kiruna $2,915
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,082 per month in Kiruna vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Kiruna $4,082
Phuket $2,845

Kiruna costs about 45% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kiruna sits 29% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.82 SEK 137

$4.40 ฿147

214.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$128 SEK 1,270

$32.26 ฿1,078

297.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 SEK 103

$8.76 ฿293

18.72%

Cappuccino

$4.33 SEK 42.90

$2.83 ฿94.5

53.00%

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

$2.69 SEK 26.70

$0.90 ฿30.14

198.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SEK 22.37

$0.47 ฿15.56

380.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.54 SEK 94.5

$2.55 ฿85.2

274.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 SEK 65.3

$3.83 ฿128

72.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.34

$1.73 ฿57.7

-16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 SEK 27.79

$1.47 ฿49.11

90.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.83

$1.51 ฿50.6

146.36%

Eggs

$3.55 SEK 35.18

$2.17 ฿72.7

63.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 SEK 122

$19.70 ฿658

-37.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 SEK 137

$3.34 ฿112

313.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.62 SEK 194

$11.16 ฿373

75.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 SEK 27.66

$2.85 ฿95.1

-2.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.12

$1.70 ฿56.9

48.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 SEK 25.90

$2.19 ฿73.3

19.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 SEK 43.63

$2.05 ฿68.4

114.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$1.45 ฿48.57

1.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 SEK 15.77

$1.38 ฿46.16

15.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 SEK 19.93

$1.07 ฿35.69

87.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 SEK 15.46

$0.51 ฿16.91

205.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 SEK 64.0

$4.26 ฿142

51.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 SEK 96.1

$18.58 ฿621

-47.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 SEK 19.65

$1.78 ฿59.7

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.75

$2.85 ฿95.2

-30.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.95

$2.26 ฿75.6

42.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 SEK 787

$22.10 ฿738

259.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 SEK 57.9

$3.01 ฿101

94.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SEK 16.68

$1.06 ฿35.34

58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.9 SEK 563

$3.86 ฿129

1373.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$1.45 ฿48.45

45.52%

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

$31.3K SEK 310.1K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

18.88%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

23.45%

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

$95.9 SEK 951

$96.4 ฿3,221

-0.46%

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

$24.86 SEK 246

$11.04 ฿369

125.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.94 SEK 356

$17.14 ฿573

109.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 SEK 374

$52.2 ฿1,744

-27.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.04 SEK 248

$11.16 ฿373

124.37%

Cinema Ticket

$15.92 SEK 158

$7.81 ฿261

103.84%

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

$152 SEK 1,506

$556 ฿18.6K

-72.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,610 SEK 55.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-51.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 SEK 993

$64.2 ฿2,146

56.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.87 SEK 445

$28.69 ฿959

56.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 SEK 810

$95.4 ฿3,187

-14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 SEK 1,378

$88.0 ฿2,940

58.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SEK 8,047

$737 ฿24.6K

10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 6,043

$462 ฿15.5K

31.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 SEK 13.5K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-6.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,456 SEK 34.2K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-0.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,527 SEK 25.0K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

0.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,257 SEK 32.3K

$501 ฿16.7K

550.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Kiruna: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kiruna

$610 34.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 24.2% $148

Groceries & Markets

Kiruna

$366 20.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 26.5% $97

Eating Out

Kiruna

$274 15.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 55.8% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Kiruna

$165 9.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 24.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kiruna

$157 9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 20.5% $32

Getting Around

Kiruna

$107 6.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 63% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Kiruna

$70 4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Kiruna versus $737 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 run about 551% higher in Kiruna, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $128 in Kiruna versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kiruna

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

5 h ahead of Kiruna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,454

79,308

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kiruna Phuket 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kiruna
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

Kiruna vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,747 in Kiruna, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,621 per month in Kiruna and $1,813 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Kiruna, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $128 in Kiruna and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Kiruna at $1,747. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kiruna 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 $1,208 in Phuket to $1,747 in Kiruna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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