Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Eskilstuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,748 in Eskilstuna, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Eskilstuna
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,748
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Eskilstuna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Eskilstuna $1,748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,674 in Eskilstuna.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Eskilstuna $2,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,600 in Eskilstuna.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Eskilstuna $3,600

Living in Phuket costs roughly 31% less than in Eskilstuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Eskilstuna is 30% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$13.55 SEK 134
-66.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,086
$63.9 SEK 633
-49.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$10.22 SEK 101
-16.34%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.0
$4.29 SEK 42.52
-36.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.25
$2.58 SEK 25.55
-63.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.39
$2.21 SEK 21.94
-77.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$4.90 SEK 48.55
-47.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$5.00 SEK 49.54
-23.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$1.43 SEK 14.20
21.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.82
$3.15 SEK 31.18
-54.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$3.41 SEK 33.81
-55.13%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$3.93 SEK 38.94
-44.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$13.32 SEK 132
43.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$12.27 SEK 122
-73.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
$12.74 SEK 126
-12.56%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$3.23 SEK 32.01
-8.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$2.68 SEK 26.55
-37.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$2.53 SEK 25.11
-9.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.3
$3.72 SEK 36.88
-42.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$1.41 SEK 13.96
8.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.55
$1.79 SEK 17.72
-24.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.44
$3.05 SEK 30.24
-63.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.24
$1.72 SEK 17.07
-68.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$6.88 SEK 68.2
-38.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$7.80 SEK 77.2
133.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$1.96 SEK 19.42
-11.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$2.20 SEK 21.82
26.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.1
$3.23 SEK 32.02
-31.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$66.9 SEK 663
-67.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$12.72 SEK 126
-77.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.79
$2.05 SEK 20.27
-50.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$78.2 SEK 775
-95.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.85
$1.73 SEK 17.16
-13.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.6K
$31.4K SEK 311.5K
-15.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.7K
$32.5K SEK 321.7K
-17.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,321
$177 SEK 1,751
-43.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$28.43 SEK 282
-60.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$38.00 SEK 377
-54.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,747
$24.49 SEK 243
113.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
$25.82 SEK 256
-57.98%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$10.84 SEK 107
-30.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.7K
$148 SEK 1,468
276.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.9K
$5,008 SEK 49.6K
129.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,102
$98.2 SEK 973
-35.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$29.44 SEK 292
-2.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,213
$89.7 SEK 889
7.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,943
$148 SEK 1,465
-40.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$791 SEK 7,840
-7.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$602 SEK 5,961
-23.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$1,150 SEK 11.4K
82.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$1,029 SEK 10.2K
18.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.6K
$4,052 SEK 40.2K
-14.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.2K
$2,775 SEK 27.5K
-10.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Eskilstuna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
$4,169 SEK 41.3K
-88.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
2.8
98.93%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Eskilstuna: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Eskilstuna
$602 30.8% $142
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Eskilstuna
$346 29.4% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Eskilstuna
$243 89.9% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Eskilstuna
$164 32.5% $40
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Eskilstuna
$244 101% $123
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Eskilstuna
$46 31.5% $21
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Eskilstuna
$103 164% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eskilstuna pays 746% 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 $64.0 in Eskilstuna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $346 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇸🇪 Eskilstuna
🕒 Local time
04:28 4:28 AM
23:28 11:28 PM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
67,359
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Eskilstuna 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Eskilstuna

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 Eskilstuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Eskilstuna?
Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Eskilstuna. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Phuket or in Eskilstuna?
On paper, salaries run 746% lower in Eskilstuna. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Eskilstuna?
Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Eskilstuna?
All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Phuket compared to Eskilstuna?
A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 203% less than in Eskilstuna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Eskilstuna?
At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Eskilstuna. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Phuket or Eskilstuna?
Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.
How safe is Phuket compared to Eskilstuna?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Eskilstuna are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Eskilstuna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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