Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Alesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,402 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Alesund

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 Alesund actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,402 in Alesund, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Alesund $2,402

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,767 in Alesund, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Alesund $3,767

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,132 in Alesund, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Alesund $5,132

Phuket is about 47% cheaper than Alesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Alesund is 76% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$21.78 NOK 202

-79.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$90.0 NOK 837

-64.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.36 NOK 124

-34.06%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.35 NOK 40.45

-34.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.13 NOK 19.78

-59.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.40 NOK 22.29

-79.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$11.75 NOK 109

-78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.56 NOK 88.8

-61.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.24 NOK 20.81

-25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.12 NOK 28.95

-53.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.19 NOK 29.60

-52.98%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.56 NOK 42.37

-54.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.29 NOK 142

24.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.24 NOK 132

-76.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$21.59 NOK 201

-49.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.71 NOK 25.19

8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.34 NOK 21.70

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.26 NOK 21.02

-0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.78 NOK 35.10

-44.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.59 NOK 24.02

-41.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.57 NOK 14.55

-12.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.98 NOK 27.67

-64.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.80 NOK 16.74

-71.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$15.82 NOK 147

-73.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$19.63 NOK 182

-4.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.59 NOK 33.39

-49.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.06 NOK 37.71

-30.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$5.04 NOK 46.83

-71.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$90.3 NOK 838

-37.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$12.87 NOK 120

-76.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.92 NOK 17.82

-46.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$75.5 NOK 701

-95.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.33 NOK 21.65

-36.91%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$49.9K NOK 463.9K

-46.37%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$44.1K NOK 409.3K

-39.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$289 NOK 2,689

-66.72%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$34.69 NOK 322

-67.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$61.0 NOK 566

-72.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$60.4 NOK 561

11.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$31.93 NOK 297

-66.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$18.36 NOK 171

-59.15%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$248 NOK 2,305

91.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,651 NOK 24.6K

324.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$88.2 NOK 819

-29.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$45.61 NOK 424

-37.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$119 NOK 1,110

-21.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$146 NOK 1,357

-41.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,093 NOK 10.2K

-34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$812 NOK 7,548

-39.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,185 NOK 11.0K

62.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,659 NOK 15.4K

-13.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,535 NOK 42.1K

-7.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,505 NOK 23.3K

21.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,266 NOK 39.6K

-88.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.22

31.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alesund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Alesund

$812 33.8% 65.5% $322

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Alesund

$432 18% 62.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Alesund

$385 16% 209% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Alesund

$180 7.5% 47.4% $58

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Alesund

$363 15.1% 198% $241

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Alesund

$97 4% 18.1% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Alesund

$133 5.5% 88.3% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,093 in Alesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alesund are about 8.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $90 in Alesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $432 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Alesund

🕒 Local time

05:54 5:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

58,683

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Alesund 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Alesund

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 Alesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,402 in Alesund – Phuket comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,602 in Alesund. 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 $1,093 in Alesund.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $90 in Alesund. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,402 in Alesund. That makes Phuket about 47% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Alesund at $2,402. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,402 in Alesund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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