Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kista and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,724 in Kista, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kista
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Kista Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,724

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,724 per month in Kista vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kista $1,724
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,694 per month in Kista vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kista $2,694
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,664 per month in Kista vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kista $3,664
Phuket $3,154

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.46 SEK 134

$4.47 ฿151

201.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 SEK 748

$32.41 ฿1,094

131.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 SEK 101

$8.81 ฿297

14.98%

Cappuccino

$4.56 SEK 45.38

$2.83 ฿95.5

61.13%

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

$2.68 SEK 26.63

$0.87 ฿29.43

208.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SEK 21.78

$0.49 ฿16.67

346.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.96 SEK 69.3

$2.56 ฿86.4

171.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.00 SEK 69.6

$3.68 ฿124

90.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 SEK 16.32

$1.66 ฿56.0

-1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 SEK 27.36

$1.46 ฿49.35

88.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 34.21

$1.50 ฿50.6

129.33%

Eggs

$4.01 SEK 39.91

$2.09 ฿70.5

91.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 SEK 121

$19.07 ฿644

-35.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 SEK 121

$3.30 ฿111

266.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 SEK 171

$10.91 ฿368

57.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 30.12

$2.93 ฿99.0

3.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 SEK 25.07

$1.69 ฿57.1

49.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.87

$2.25 ฿75.8

28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 SEK 43.43

$2.08 ฿70.1

109.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 SEK 16.06

$1.51 ฿51.0

6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 SEK 16.16

$1.38 ฿46.56

17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 SEK 22.71

$1.07 ฿35.99

113.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SEK 14.45

$0.52 ฿17.52

178.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.27 SEK 72.4

$4.20 ฿142

73.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 SEK 98.8

$18.79 ฿634

-47.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 SEK 19.35

$1.82 ฿61.5

6.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SEK 22.86

$2.84 ฿95.9

-19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 SEK 32.37

$1.45 ฿49.03

124.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.1 SEK 777

$56.7 ฿1,913

37.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 SEK 60.7

$3.02 ฿102

101.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.79

$1.02 ฿34.36

65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 SEK 586

$3.69 ฿125

1496.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.82

$1.47 ฿49.81

21.77%

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

$32.7K SEK 325.6K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

22.18%

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

$33.8K SEK 336.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

26.72%

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

$104 SEK 1,033

$96.4 ฿3,254

7.71%

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

$25.86 SEK 257

$11.26 ฿380

129.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.31 SEK 391

$16.85 ฿569

133.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.24 SEK 371

$67.2 ฿2,270

-44.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.02 SEK 259

$10.73 ฿362

142.50%

Cinema Ticket

$16.08 SEK 160

$7.50 ฿253

114.40%

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

$159 SEK 1,587

$476 ฿16.1K

-66.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,088 SEK 50.6K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-54.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.4 SEK 979

$62.4 ฿2,106

57.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 SEK 400

$28.41 ฿959

41.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 SEK 912

$94.3 ฿3,184

-2.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 SEK 1,396

$85.8 ฿2,898

63.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 SEK 7,910

$716 ฿24.2K

11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$598 SEK 5,950

$491 ฿16.6K

21.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 SEK 13.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-28.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 SEK 9,966

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-30.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,976 SEK 39.6K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-4.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 SEK 28.3K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-6.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

5.57

-39.50%

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

Last update for Kista: 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

Kista

$598 34.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 17.9% $107

Groceries & Markets

Kista

$355 20.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.9% $89

Eating Out

Kista

$261 15.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 53.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kista

$169 9.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 26.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Kista

$167 9.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.9% $45

Getting Around

Kista

$106 6.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 33.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Kista

$69 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 18.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in Kista 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Kista versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $355 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Kista

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

01:40 1:40 AM

6 h ahead of Kista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,254

79,308

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kista Phuket 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kista
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

Kista vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kista costs about 35% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,587 per month in Kista 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 $795 in Kista.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,724 in Kista and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Kista at $1,724. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kista it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,724 in Kista. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 35% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.