Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bergen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bergen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,844 in Bergen.

Phuket $1,190
Bergen $2,844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $4,282 in Bergen.

Phuket $2,006
Bergen $4,282

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $5,719 in Bergen.

Phuket $2,822
Bergen $5,719

Living in Phuket costs roughly 58% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Bergen is 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$22.98 NOK 219

-81.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$135 NOK 1,292

-76.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$15.52 NOK 148

-45.75%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$5.42 NOK 51.8

-48.15%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$5.10 NOK 48.71

-82.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$4.47 NOK 42.65

-89.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$12.57 NOK 120

-79.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$10.41 NOK 99.4

-65.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$2.15 NOK 20.57

-20.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.78 NOK 36.13

-61.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$3.51 NOK 33.54

-55.56%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$6.41 NOK 61.3

-67.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$14.32 NOK 137

36.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$17.21 NOK 164

-80.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$36.16 NOK 345

-69.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$4.12 NOK 39.38

-31.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.72 NOK 25.95

-40.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$3.61 NOK 34.44

-38.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$5.39 NOK 51.4

-60.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$2.52 NOK 24.02

-40.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$3.35 NOK 31.97

-60.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$2.86 NOK 27.34

-62.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$1.78 NOK 17.03

-71.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$17.10 NOK 163

-74.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$17.97 NOK 172

4.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$3.59 NOK 34.31

-51.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$4.21 NOK 40.20

-33.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$5.15 NOK 49.21

-57.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$86.4 NOK 825

-74.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$12.39 NOK 118

-75.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$1.84 NOK 17.61

-42.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$70.5 NOK 674

-94.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$2.35 NOK 22.42

-39.15%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

-45.73%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

-39.54%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$275 NOK 2,623

-64.80%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$32.93 NOK 314

-65.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$82.9 NOK 791

-79.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$45.61 NOK 436

15.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$41.77 NOK 399

-73.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$18.87 NOK 180

-59.46%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$238 NOK 2,272

133.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

-6.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$107 NOK 1,022

-40.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$54.6 NOK 522

-47.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$118 NOK 1,128

-18.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$162 NOK 1,545

-45.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

-48.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

-57.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

-10.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

-30.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

-55.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

-47.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

-88.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.27

5.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3% 137% $625

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Bergen

$524 18.6% 95.6% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Bergen

$390 13.8% 212% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Bergen

$199 7% 59.2% $74

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Bergen

$417 14.8% 250% $298

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Bergen

$83 3% 22.4% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Bergen

$129 4.6% 228% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $1,414 in Bergen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 804% 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 $135 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $524 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

292,482

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.7 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bergen 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bergen

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 Bergen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 804% lower in Bergen. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $1,414 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $238 in Bergen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 96% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,844 in Bergen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bergen 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 139% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.