Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,092 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
Learn more

Malmo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,092

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Malmo vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Malmo $2,092
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Malmo vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Malmo $3,149
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Malmo vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Malmo $4,206
Phuket $3,154

Malmo costs about 64% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Malmo sits 54% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.17 SEK 149

$4.47 ฿151

239.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.1 SEK 746

$32.41 ฿1,093

134.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 120

$8.81 ฿297

38.25%

Cappuccino

$4.94 SEK 48.44

$2.83 ฿95.4

74.56%

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

$3.50 SEK 34.36

$0.87 ฿29.41

302.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.51

$0.49 ฿16.65

451.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.69 SEK 85.3

$2.56 ฿86.3

239.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.11 SEK 89.4

$3.68 ฿124

147.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 SEK 16.36

$1.66 ฿55.9

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 SEK 27.91

$1.46 ฿49.31

94.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 SEK 33.76

$1.50 ฿50.5

129.33%

Eggs

$4.12 SEK 40.42

$2.09 ฿70.5

97.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 SEK 129

$19.07 ฿643

-30.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.85 SEK 116

$3.30 ฿111

259.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.25 SEK 209

$10.91 ฿368

94.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.11

$2.93 ฿98.9

1.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 SEK 25.76

$1.69 ฿57.0

55.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 SEK 28.85

$2.25 ฿75.8

30.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 SEK 41.77

$2.08 ฿70.0

104.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 15.97

$1.51 ฿51.0

7.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 SEK 15.26

$1.38 ฿46.52

12.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 24.65

$1.07 ฿35.96

134.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 SEK 11.55

$0.52 ฿17.51

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 80.2

$4.20 ฿142

94.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 SEK 112

$18.79 ฿634

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.11

$1.82 ฿61.5

12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.29

$2.84 ฿95.8

-16.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 SEK 31.65

$1.45 ฿48.98

122.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 SEK 627

$56.7 ฿1,912

12.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.4

$3.02 ฿102

100.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.37

$1.02 ฿34.33

143.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.44 SEK 485

$3.69 ฿125

1239.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.55

$1.47 ฿49.76

21.77%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.3K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

21.90%

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

$33.3K SEK 326.5K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

24.65%

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

$144 SEK 1,412

$96.4 ฿3,251

49.29%

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

$25.21 SEK 247

$11.26 ฿380

123.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.19 SEK 394

$16.85 ฿568

138.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 SEK 386

$67.2 ฿2,268

-41.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 SEK 289

$10.73 ฿362

174.74%

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 SEK 168

$7.50 ฿253

128.27%

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

$168 SEK 1,651

$476 ฿16.1K

-64.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,352 SEK 32.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-70.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 SEK 1,001

$62.4 ฿2,104

63.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.62 SEK 448

$28.41 ฿958

60.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 SEK 1,086

$94.3 ฿3,181

17.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 SEK 1,533

$85.8 ฿2,895

82.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 SEK 10.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

53.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 SEK 8,363

$491 ฿16.6K

73.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,765 SEK 17.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-8.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 SEK 13.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-6.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 SEK 40.2K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-1.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,158 SEK 31.0K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

3.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 SEK 29.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

493.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

5.57

-45.24%

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

Last update for Malmo: 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

Malmo

$852 40.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 42.4% $361

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$371 17.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.3% $105

Eating Out

Malmo

$304 14.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.9% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$209 10%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 40.5% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$187 8.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 34.7% $65

Getting Around

Malmo

$95 4.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 25.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 11.8% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,100 in Malmo 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 Malmo are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Malmo versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

6 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

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

Malmo Phuket 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
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

Malmo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 64% 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 $3,138 per month in Malmo 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 $1,100 in Malmo.

Kindergarten costs $168 per month in Malmo and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Malmo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Malmo at $2,092. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $2,092 in Malmo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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