Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,919 in Lulea versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,101 in Lulea versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,283 in Lulea versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Lulea is roughly 53% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lulea is 40% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.44 SEK 120

$4.56 ฿151

172.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 SEK 954

$32.62 ฿1,082

203.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 SEK 112

$8.90 ฿295

30.22%

Cappuccino

$4.58 SEK 44.07

$2.80 ฿93.0

63.57%

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

$2.64 SEK 25.39

$0.88 ฿29.19

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 SEK 18.94

$0.49 ฿16.23

302.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.32 SEK 89.8

$2.39 ฿79.2

289.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.80 SEK 94.4

$3.71 ฿123

164.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 SEK 18.01

$1.79 ฿59.3

4.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 SEK 33.03

$1.44 ฿47.81

138.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 SEK 47.27

$1.58 ฿52.6

210.76%

Eggs

$4.67 SEK 44.95

$2.13 ฿70.5

119.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 122

$19.92 ฿661

-36.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 SEK 131

$3.43 ฿114

297.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.73 SEK 267

$11.33 ฿376

144.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 25.59

$2.95 ฿97.8

-9.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.20

$1.72 ฿57.1

63.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.06

$2.32 ฿77.1

7.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 SEK 41.88

$2.08 ฿69.0

109.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 SEK 21.40

$1.47 ฿48.77

51.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 14.95

$1.36 ฿45.05

13.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 SEK 33.16

$1.10 ฿36.45

212.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.37

$0.57 ฿19.06

124.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.17 SEK 69.1

$4.27 ฿142

67.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 SEK 122

$18.42 ฿611

-31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 SEK 18.14

$1.87 ฿62.1

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 SEK 17.71

$2.92 ฿96.9

-36.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.42 SEK 32.96

$2.22 ฿73.6

54.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.6 SEK 555

$22.90 ฿759

151.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.51 SEK 91.6

$3.03 ฿101

213.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 SEK 21.67

$1.07 ฿35.63

110.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$71.9 SEK 693

$3.93 ฿130

1730.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 SEK 16.98

$1.49 ฿49.49

18.12%

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

$33.5K SEK 322.7K

$27.1K ฿899.8K

23.50%

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

$35.8K SEK 344.4K

$27.5K ฿910.6K

30.28%

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

$173 SEK 1,663

$103 ฿3,410

68.00%

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

$32.34 SEK 312

$10.99 ฿365

194.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.89 SEK 269

$17.51 ฿581

59.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.35 SEK 475

$53.5 ฿1,776

-7.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.98 SEK 356

$11.20 ฿371

230.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 SEK 130

$7.48 ฿248

79.95%

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

$161 SEK 1,552

$557 ฿18.5K

-71.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,808 SEK 55.9K

$11.9K ฿393.2K

-51.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$123 SEK 1,182

$64.1 ฿2,125

91.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.18 SEK 329

$29.07 ฿964

17.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 SEK 1,211

$96.0 ฿3,183

31.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 SEK 1,599

$90.3 ฿2,997

83.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 SEK 7,766

$730 ฿24.2K

10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 SEK 5,775

$500 ฿16.6K

19.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 SEK 14.8K

$2,090 ฿69.3K

-26.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 SEK 11.1K

$1,209 ฿40.1K

-4.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,240 SEK 31.2K

$3,596 ฿119.3K

-9.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,346 SEK 22.6K

$2,512 ฿83.3K

-6.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,633 SEK 25.4K

$503 ฿16.7K

423.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.57

-30.88%

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

Last update for Lulea: September 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $806 in Lulea and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 423% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $99.0 in Lulea vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $420 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Lulea vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Lulea. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 423% higher in Lulea, 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: $806 in Lulea versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Lulea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $99.0 in Lulea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,919 in Lulea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lulea. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,253 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lulea and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Lulea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.