Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Drangsnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,726 in Drangsnes, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. The total is higher in Drangsnes despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Drangsnes
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Drangsnes Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Drangsnes

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Drangsnes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,726 in Drangsnes.

Phuket $1,294
Drangsnes $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,935 in Drangsnes.

Phuket $2,204
Drangsnes $2,935

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,144 in Drangsnes.

Phuket $3,115
Drangsnes $4,144

Living in Phuket costs roughly 25% less than in Drangsnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Drangsnes is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$31.74 ISK 3,856

-86.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$122 ISK 14.9K

-73.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$26.90 ISK 3,268

-67.66%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$6.91 ISK 840

-60.64%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$3.41 ISK 414

-72.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$3.15 ISK 383

-84.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$14.01 ISK 1,702

-81.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$12.12 ISK 1,473

-70.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.12 ISK 257

-17.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$4.23 ISK 514

-65.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.65 ISK 444

-58.90%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$6.96 ISK 845

-68.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$21.86 ISK 2,656

-12.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$24.27 ISK 2,948

-85.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$42.46 ISK 5,159

-74.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.28 ISK 398

-10.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.84 ISK 344

-40.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.17 ISK 385

-30.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$6.60 ISK 801

-67.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$3.94 ISK 479

-62.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.70 ISK 207

-19.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$3.66 ISK 444

-70.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.74 ISK 212

-68.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$13.77 ISK 1,673

-67.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$23.74 ISK 2,885

-23.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$3.67 ISK 446

-51.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.49 ISK 424

-17.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$6.64 ISK 806

-77.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$2.79 ISK 339

-72.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$80.7 ISK 9,799

-95.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.11 ISK 256

-29.38%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$69.7K ISK 8.5M

-61.44%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$55.5K ISK 6.7M

-52.50%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$95.5 ISK 11.6K

2.44%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$33.11 ISK 4,023

-65.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$87.1 ISK 10.6K

-80.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$19.31 ISK 2,347

-61.52%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$1,168 ISK 142.0K

-54.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$26.3K ISK 3.2M

-28.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$152 ISK 18.5K

-59.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$65.6 ISK 7,971

-56.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$179 ISK 21.7K

-46.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$248 ISK 30.1K

-64.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$6,094 ISK 740.4K

-91.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.81

-36.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Drangsnes: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Drangsnes

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Drangsnes

$623 36.1% 133% $356

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Drangsnes

$216 12.5% 70.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Drangsnes

$290 16.8% 136% $167

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Drangsnes

$538 31.2% 350% $419

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Drangsnes

$39 * 2.2% 53.6% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Drangsnes

$21 * 1.2% 68.8% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

Drangsnes pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $122 in Drangsnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $623 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇸 Drangsnes

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

04:56 4:56 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Drangsnes 10,500 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Drangsnes

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 Drangsnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Drangsnes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $1,168 in Drangsnes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $122 in Drangsnes. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,726 in Drangsnes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Drangsnes. 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 Drangsnes are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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