Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Halmstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,608 in Halmstad, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Halmstad
Learn more

Halmstad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Halmstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Halmstad

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,608 in Halmstad, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Halmstad $1,608

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,517 in Halmstad, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Halmstad $2,517

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,426 in Halmstad, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Halmstad $3,426

Phuket is about 21% cheaper than Halmstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Halmstad is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.09 SEK 130

-65.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$70.6 SEK 701

-54.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.47 SEK 114

-23.19%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.67 SEK 46.42

-39.40%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.86 SEK 28.43

-69.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.38 SEK 23.62

-79.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$7.02 SEK 69.7

-63.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.18 SEK 71.3

-48.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.49 SEK 14.79

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.49 SEK 24.73

-41.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.16 SEK 31.38

-52.53%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.34 SEK 33.14

-37.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.17 SEK 111

70.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.98 SEK 89.2

-63.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.48 SEK 164

-33.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.12 SEK 31.00

-6.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.53 SEK 25.13

-33.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.99 SEK 29.71

-24.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.99 SEK 39.61

-47.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.53 SEK 15.22

-1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.48 SEK 14.66

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.97 SEK 19.52

-45.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.86 SEK 8.49

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.58 SEK 65.4

-36.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.43 SEK 104

80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.01 SEK 19.97

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.24 SEK 22.25

26.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.82 SEK 28.05

-48.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$65.4 SEK 649

-13.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.06 SEK 60.2

-50.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.65 SEK 16.42

-38.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$59.1 SEK 587

-93.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.83 SEK 18.18

-19.67%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$33.2K SEK 329.7K

-19.33%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$33.3K SEK 330.4K

-19.78%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$105 SEK 1,042

-8.15%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.73 SEK 196

-42.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.15 SEK 339

-50.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$34.85 SEK 346

92.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.80 SEK 167

-55.36%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$149 SEK 1,482

218.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$4,359 SEK 43.3K

158.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$88.7 SEK 880

-29.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.58 SEK 324

-12.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$89.1 SEK 885

5.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$130 SEK 1,290

-33.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$586 SEK 5,821

22.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$553 SEK 5,496

-11.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,119 SEK 11.1K

72.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$972 SEK 9,650

47.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,339 SEK 43.1K

-3.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,263 SEK 22.5K

-77.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.06

82.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Halmstad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Halmstad

$553 34.4% 12.7% $63

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Halmstad

$317 19.7% 19.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Halmstad

$159 9.9% 27.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Halmstad

$153 9.5% 25.6% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Halmstad

$266 16.5% 118% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Halmstad

$68 4.3% 16.8% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Halmstad

$91 5.7% 28.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $586 in Halmstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Halmstad are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $71 in Halmstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $317 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Halmstad

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

55,688

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Halmstad 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Halmstad

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 Halmstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Halmstad costs about 26% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,412 in Halmstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Halmstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $586 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Halmstad, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $71 in Halmstad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Halmstad at $1,608. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Halmstad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,608 in Halmstad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Halmstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.