Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bodo

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,499 in Bodo, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Bodo, Norway
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Bodo
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,499
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bodo

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,499 in Bodo, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Bodo $2,499

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $4,042 in Bodo, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Bodo $4,042

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,585 in Bodo, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Bodo $5,585

Phuket is about 49% cheaper than Bodo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Bodo is 84% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$24.49 NOK 225
-81.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$130 NOK 1,191
-75.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$24.27 NOK 223
-63.70%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$6.50 NOK 59.7
-56.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$4.86 NOK 44.64
-82.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$3.18 NOK 29.17
-84.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$12.36 NOK 114
-79.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$15.76 NOK 145
-76.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$2.39 NOK 21.92
-30.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$4.25 NOK 39.07
-65.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$4.28 NOK 39.32
-64.95%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$5.28 NOK 48.55
-60.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$12.71 NOK 117
50.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$19.73 NOK 181
-83.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$21.71 NOK 199
-49.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$3.72 NOK 34.15
-21.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.78 NOK 25.50
-39.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$4.97 NOK 45.67
-54.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$6.58 NOK 60.4
-68.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$3.19 NOK 29.30
-52.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$3.07 NOK 28.21
-55.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$3.05 NOK 27.99
-64.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$2.48 NOK 22.78
-79.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$14.74 NOK 135
-71.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$20.02 NOK 184
-6.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$4.03 NOK 37.04
-54.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$4.70 NOK 43.21
-39.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$4.62 NOK 42.43
-68.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$74.5 NOK 685
-23.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$9.94 NOK 91.3
-69.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$1.73 NOK 15.90
-41.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$2.33 NOK 21.44
-36.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$177 NOK 1,627
-45.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$42.81 NOK 393
-73.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$69.9 NOK 643
-75.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$51.1 NOK 469
31.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$14.09 NOK 129
-46.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$255 NOK 2,346
86.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$91.1 NOK 837
-31.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$52.9 NOK 486
-46.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$107 NOK 980
-11.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$1,202 NOK 11.0K
-40.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$912 NOK 8,375
-46.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$2,357 NOK 21.7K
-18.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,844 NOK 16.9K
-22.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$6,353 NOK 58.4K
-34.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Bodo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$3,542 NOK 32.5K
-85.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.67
19.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bodo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Bodo
$912 85.7% $421
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Bodo
$522 96% $256
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Bodo
$290 133% $165
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Bodo
$113 * 7.5% $9.1
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Bodo
$472 288% $350
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Bodo
$79 3.6% $3
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Bodo
$112 58.1% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,202 in Bodo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bodo are about 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $130 in Bodo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $522 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇳🇴 Bodo
🕒 Local time
12:19 12:19 PM
06:19 6:19 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
53,698
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Bodo 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Bodo

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 Bodo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Bodo?
Bodo costs about 96% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Bodo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,749 in Bodo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Bodo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,202 in Bodo.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Bodo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,499 in Bodo. That makes Phuket about 49% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Phuket compared to Bodo?
Public transport costs about 24% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Bodo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Bodo at $2,499. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bodo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Phuket or Bodo?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $2,499 in Bodo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Phuket compared to Bodo?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Phuket or to Bodo?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bodo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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