Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Akranes

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,755 in Akranes, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
181

Cost of Living Index in Akranes
Learn more

Akranes Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Akranes

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Akranes

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Akranes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,755 in Akranes.

Phuket $1,207
Akranes $3,755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $5,928 in Akranes.

Phuket $2,037
Akranes $5,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $8,101 in Akranes.

Phuket $2,867
Akranes $8,101

Living in Phuket costs roughly 68% less than in Akranes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Akranes is 178% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$30.83 ISK 3,740

-85.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$124 ISK 15.0K

-73.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$27.33 ISK 3,315

-68.72%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$6.00 ISK 728

-54.67%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$3.15 ISK 383

-70.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.48 ISK 301

-80.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$10.82 ISK 1,313

-76.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.31 ISK 1,008

-53.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.11 ISK 256

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.00 ISK 243

-28.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.71 ISK 450

-58.76%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$6.05 ISK 734

-64.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$20.76 ISK 2,518

-7.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$23.98 ISK 2,909

-86.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$41.92 ISK 5,085

-73.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.26 ISK 396

-9.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.82 ISK 342

-40.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.12 ISK 379

-26.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$4.78 ISK 580

-55.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.81 ISK 463

-59.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.65 ISK 200

-17.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$3.69 ISK 448

-69.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.84 ISK 224

-70.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$13.83 ISK 1,678

-69.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$24.02 ISK 2,913

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.91 ISK 353

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.09 ISK 253

33.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$3.71 ISK 450

-40.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$73.6 ISK 8,931

-70.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$6.69 ISK 812

-56.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.20 ISK 145

-15.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$80.0 ISK 9,704

-95.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.02 ISK 245

-26.24%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$49.8K ISK 6.0M

-46.41%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$52.8K ISK 6.4M

-49.46%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$94.6 ISK 11.5K

5.04%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$32.27 ISK 3,914

-65.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$87.0 ISK 10.5K

-80.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$104 ISK 12.7K

-49.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$19.49 ISK 2,364

-61.16%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$1,197 ISK 145.2K

-53.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$26.2K ISK 3.2M

-56.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$147 ISK 17.8K

-57.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$67.2 ISK 8,151

-57.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$182 ISK 22.1K

-47.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$253 ISK 30.7K

-65.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$3,026 ISK 367.0K

-75.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,934 ISK 234.6K

-76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$4,979 ISK 603.9K

-57.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$3,759 ISK 455.9K

-67.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$5,792 ISK 702.5K

-91.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.81

-36.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Akranes: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Akranes

$1.9K 51.5% 321% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Akranes

$576 15.3% 115% $309

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Akranes

$214 5.7% 67.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Akranes

$292 7.8% 136% $168

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Akranes

$494 13.2% 307% $373

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Akranes

$143 3.8% 113% $76

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Akranes

$101 2.7% 160% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $3,026 in Akranes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akranes pays 1075% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $124 in Akranes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $576 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇸 Akranes

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Akranes 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Akranes

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

Phuket vs Akranes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 211% lower than in Akranes. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1075% lower in Akranes. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $3,026 in Akranes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $3,755 in Akranes – a 211% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 234% less than in Akranes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,755 in Akranes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Akranes. 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 $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Akranes 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 211% less than in Akranes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.