Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Askim

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,938 in Askim, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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
141

Cost of Living Index in Askim
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Askim Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Askim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Askim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,938 in Askim.

Phuket $1,278
Askim $2,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,407 in Askim.

Phuket $2,216
Askim $4,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,876 in Askim.

Phuket $3,154
Askim $5,876

Living in Phuket costs roughly 56% less than in Askim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Askim is 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$21.58 NOK 201

-79.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$127 NOK 1,184

-74.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$16.17 NOK 151

-45.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$6.13 NOK 57.2

-53.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$4.39 NOK 41.00

-80.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$3.50 NOK 32.65

-86.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$11.75 NOK 110

-78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$13.12 NOK 122

-71.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.51 NOK 23.40

-33.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$4.21 NOK 39.33

-65.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.76 NOK 44.40

-68.49%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.00 NOK 56.0

-65.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.38 NOK 144

23.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$15.88 NOK 148

-79.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$31.79 NOK 297

-65.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.32 NOK 30.96

-11.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.65 NOK 24.70

-36.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.64 NOK 33.98

-38.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.05 NOK 56.5

-65.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.69 NOK 25.10

-43.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.89 NOK 26.98

-52.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.26 NOK 30.46

-67.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.50 NOK 23.32

-79.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$19.42 NOK 181

-78.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.19 NOK 160

9.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.55 NOK 33.15

-48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.42 NOK 41.27

-35.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$4.86 NOK 45.33

-70.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$87.0 NOK 812

-34.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$12.03 NOK 112

-74.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.91 NOK 17.87

-46.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$72.2 NOK 674

-94.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.40 NOK 22.39

-38.75%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$49.0K NOK 457.4K

-45.35%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$39.1K NOK 365.4K

-31.82%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$437 NOK 4,075

-77.93%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$33.80 NOK 316

-66.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$54.8 NOK 512

-69.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$50.2 NOK 468

34.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$37.37 NOK 349

-71.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.12 NOK 150

-53.47%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$245 NOK 2,285

94.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$15.7K NOK 146.8K

-28.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$104 NOK 967

-39.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$60.5 NOK 565

-53.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$138 NOK 1,284

-31.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$160 NOK 1,496

-46.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,265 NOK 11.8K

-43.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,057 NOK 9,867

-53.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,100 NOK 19.6K

-8.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,728 NOK 16.1K

-17.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$6,481 NOK 60.5K

-35.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$4,234 NOK 39.5K

-28.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,219 NOK 39.4K

-88.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.94

12.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Askim: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Askim

$1.1K 36% 115% $566

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Askim

$526 17.9% 97.7% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Askim

$525 17.9% 322% $401

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Askim

$208 7.1% 70.5% $86

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Askim

$411 14% 238% $290

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Askim

$82 2.8% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Askim

$128 4.4% 81.3% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,265 in Askim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Askim pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $127 in Askim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $526 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Askim

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,368

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.71 USD

100 NOK = 9.63 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.33 NOK (1 NOK = 0.107 USD). 1 EUR = 10.39 NOK (100 NOK = 9.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Askim 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Askim

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 Askim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Askim differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($1,278 vs $2,938 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,265 in Askim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $127 in Askim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,938 in Askim – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,938 in Askim, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Askim. 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, Phuket and Askim 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 56% less than in Askim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.