Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Boras

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,888 in Boras, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Boras
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Boras Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Boras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Boras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,888 in Boras.

Phuket $1,278
Boras $1,888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,215 in Boras.

Phuket $2,216
Boras $2,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,542 in Boras.

Phuket $3,154
Boras $2,542

Living in Phuket costs roughly 32% less than in Boras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Boras is 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.97 SEK 127

-65.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$92.1 SEK 904

-64.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.21 SEK 100

-13.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.20 SEK 41.19

-32.62%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.13 SEK 20.91

-59.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.03 SEK 19.90

-75.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.84 SEK 67.1

-62.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.24 SEK 71.0

-49.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.62 SEK 15.92

2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.57 SEK 25.20

-43.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.10 SEK 30.41

-51.61%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.45 SEK 43.66

-53.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.48 SEK 122

52.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.34 SEK 111

-70.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.54 SEK 153

-29.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.10 SEK 30.38

-5.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.62 SEK 25.74

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.83 SEK 27.79

-20.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.61 SEK 35.43

-42.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.53 SEK 15.05

-1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.36 SEK 13.35

1.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.24 SEK 21.96

-52.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.33 SEK 13.06

-60.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.82 SEK 66.9

-38.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.09 SEK 79.4

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.74 SEK 17.12

4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.58 SEK 15.55

79.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$3.54 SEK 34.78

-59.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$77.2 SEK 758

-26.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.89 SEK 47.98

-38.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.12 SEK 11.01

-8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$41.83 SEK 410

-91.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.73 SEK 17.00

-15.03%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$24.8K SEK 243.4K

7.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$15.2K SEK 149.2K

75.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$59.1 SEK 580

63.06%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.27 SEK 287

-61.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$40.09 SEK 393

-57.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$35.54 SEK 349

89.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$25.42 SEK 249

-57.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.79 SEK 145

-49.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$160 SEK 1,571

197.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$49.67 SEK 487

25.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$49.25 SEK 483

-42.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$81.6 SEK 801

15.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$102 SEK 1,004

-16.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$881 SEK 8,646

-44.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,473 SEK 24.3K

-79.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.8

16.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Boras: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Boras

$881 46.7% 79.5% $390

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Boras

$334 17.7% 25.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Boras

$128 6.8% 3.2% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Boras

$127 6.7% 4.4% $5.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Boras

$250 13.3% 106% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Boras

$65 3.5% 20.8% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Boras

$102 5.4% 44.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

Boras pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $92 in Boras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $334 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Boras

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

00:08 12:08 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

66,273

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Boras 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Boras

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 Boras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 80% 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,888 in Boras – Phuket is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 27% less than in Boras. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,888 in Boras, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Boras. 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 Boras are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Boras on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.