Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Molde and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,288 in Molde, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,288 in Molde versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Molde $2,288
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,546 in Molde versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Molde $3,546
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,803 in Molde versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Molde $4,803
Phuket $3,154

Living in Molde is roughly 79% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Molde is 68% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 NOK 155

$4.47 ฿151

275.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.2 NOK 915

$32.41 ฿1,094

206.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 NOK 124

$8.81 ฿297

52.44%

Cappuccino

$4.01 NOK 36.98

$2.83 ฿95.4

41.70%

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

$2.96 NOK 27.26

$0.87 ฿29.42

240.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.03

$0.49 ฿16.66

610.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.98 NOK 120

$2.56 ฿86.3

407.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.03 NOK 111

$3.68 ฿124

226.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.00 NOK 27.62

$1.66 ฿56.0

80.72%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 NOK 40.63

$1.46 ฿49.32

202.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 36.94

$1.50 ฿50.5

167.33%

Eggs

$5.49 NOK 50.6

$2.09 ฿70.5

162.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.51 NOK 171

$19.07 ฿643

-2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.95 NOK 147

$3.30 ฿111

383.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 31.93

$2.93 ฿98.9

18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 NOK 29.12

$1.69 ฿57.0

86.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 NOK 28.20

$2.25 ฿75.8

36.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 NOK 45.65

$2.08 ฿70.1

137.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 NOK 24.17

$1.51 ฿51.0

73.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 NOK 21.29

$1.38 ฿46.54

67.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 NOK 26.19

$1.07 ฿35.97

165.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.15 NOK 186

$4.20 ฿142

379.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.18 NOK 214

$18.79 ฿634

23.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 NOK 39.32

$1.82 ฿61.5

134.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 NOK 72.6

$2.84 ฿95.9

177.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.28 NOK 48.62

$1.45 ฿49.00

264.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 NOK 782

$56.7 ฿1,912

49.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$16.27 NOK 150

$3.02 ฿102

438.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.21

$1.47 ฿49.78

63.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

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

$21.68 NOK 200

$11.26 ฿380

92.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.8 NOK 782

$16.85 ฿569

403.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 NOK 542

$67.2 ฿2,269

-12.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$18.72 NOK 173

$7.50 ฿253

149.60%

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

$217 NOK 1,998

$476 ฿16.1K

-54.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 NOK 1,044

$62.4 ฿2,105

81.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 NOK 1,271

$94.3 ฿3,182

46.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,476

$85.8 ฿2,896

86.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 NOK 11.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

78.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NOK 9,335

$491 ฿16.6K

106.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 NOK 17.8K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

0.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 NOK 15.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

19.53%

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)

$4,375 NOK 40.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

771.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

5.57

-13.82%

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

Last update for Molde: 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

Molde

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Molde

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Molde

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Molde

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Molde

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Molde

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Molde

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,276 in Molde and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays about 8.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Molde vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $428 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Molde

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

16:19 4:19 PM

6 h ahead of Molde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,920

79,308

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Molde Phuket 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Molde
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

Molde vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Molde is about 8.7 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: $1,276 in Molde versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Molde versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Molde. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,288 in Molde, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Molde. 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, Molde 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 44% less than in Molde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.