Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Grundarfjordur

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,722 in Grundarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. The total is higher in Grundarfjordur despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
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Grundarfjordur Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Grundarfjordur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,722 in Grundarfjordur.

Phuket $1,207
Grundarfjordur $1,722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,930 in Grundarfjordur.

Phuket $2,037
Grundarfjordur $2,930

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $4,138 in Grundarfjordur.

Phuket $2,867
Grundarfjordur $4,138

Living in Phuket costs roughly 30% less than in Grundarfjordur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Grundarfjordur is 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$31.43 ISK 3,812

-85.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,085

$123 ISK 14.9K

-73.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$27.34 ISK 3,316

-68.73%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$6.73 ISK 816

-59.58%

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

$0.94 ฿31.23

$3.35 ISK 406

-71.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$3.02 ISK 367

-83.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.5

$13.78 ISK 1,671

-81.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$12.34 ISK 1,496

-68.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.0

$2.11 ISK 255

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.80

$4.31 ISK 523

-66.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.60 ISK 437

-57.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$7.15 ISK 867

-69.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$21.52 ISK 2,610

-11.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$24.59 ISK 2,983

-86.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$41.30 ISK 5,010

-73.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.23 ISK 392

-8.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.88 ISK 349

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.27 ISK 396

-29.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.2

$6.39 ISK 776

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.96 ISK 480

-61.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.52

$1.68 ISK 204

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.42

$3.67 ISK 445

-69.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.23

$1.83 ISK 222

-69.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$13.67 ISK 1,658

-68.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$23.72 ISK 2,877

-23.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.53 ISK 428

-50.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.48 ISK 423

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$6.67 ISK 809

-56.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.77

$2.90 ISK 352

-65.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$81.7 ISK 9,913

-95.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.82

$2.02 ISK 245

-26.24%

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

$26.7K ฿891.1K

$51.5K ISK 6.2M

-48.20%

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

$26.7K ฿892.1K

$52.9K ISK 6.4M

-49.53%

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

$99.4 ฿3,319

$97.1 ISK 11.8K

2.36%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$32.85 ISK 3,985

-65.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$85.2 ISK 10.3K

-79.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,746

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$19.40 ISK 2,353

-60.98%

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

$558 ฿18.6K

$1,191 ISK 144.4K

-53.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.7K

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

-55.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,100

$147 ISK 17.8K

-57.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$66.1 ISK 8,022

-56.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,211

$185 ISK 22.5K

-48.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,941

$253 ISK 30.7K

-65.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.1K

$1,121 ISK 135.9K

122.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Grundarfjordur: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Grundarfjordur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Grundarfjordur

$621 36.1% 132% $354

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Grundarfjordur

$215 12.5% 68% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Grundarfjordur

$293 17% 136% $169

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Grundarfjordur

$533 31% 340% $412

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3% 42.5% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2% 45.5% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $123 in Grundarfjordur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $621 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

19:48 7:48 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.35 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 October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.35 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Grundarfjordur 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Grundarfjordur

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 Grundarfjordur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Grundarfjordur. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $2,584 in Grundarfjordur to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Grundarfjordur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $1,722 in Grundarfjordur – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,722 in Grundarfjordur, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Grundarfjordur. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Grundarfjordur 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 43% less than in Grundarfjordur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.