Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,461 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hamar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,461 in Hamar.

Phuket $1,278
Hamar $2,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,857 in Hamar.

Phuket $2,216
Hamar $3,857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,253 in Hamar.

Phuket $3,154
Hamar $5,253

Living in Phuket costs roughly 48% less than in Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Hamar is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$21.67 NOK 201

-79.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$129 NOK 1,201

-74.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$16.21 NOK 151

-45.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.89 NOK 54.7

-51.95%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$4.52 NOK 42.00

-80.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$3.39 NOK 31.48

-85.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$12.04 NOK 112

-78.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.70 NOK 80.9

-57.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.56 NOK 23.79

-35.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.10 NOK 28.82

-52.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.10 NOK 19.47

-28.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.23 NOK 57.9

-66.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.12 NOK 103

71.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.62 NOK 117

-73.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$31.47 NOK 292

-65.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.36 NOK 31.23

-12.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.77 NOK 25.76

-38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.08 NOK 28.66

-26.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.17 NOK 57.3

-66.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.50 NOK 23.26

-39.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.61 NOK 24.28

-47.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.19 NOK 20.39

-51.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.01 NOK 18.66

-74.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$19.50 NOK 181

-78.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.93 NOK 157

10.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.55 NOK 33.03

-48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.38 NOK 40.69

-35.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$4.66 NOK 43.25

-68.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$69.2 NOK 643

-18.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$12.31 NOK 114

-75.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.93 NOK 17.94

-47.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$72.8 NOK 677

-94.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.39 NOK 22.20

-38.49%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$49.6K NOK 460.7K

-46.00%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$46.3K NOK 429.9K

-42.32%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$230 NOK 2,137

-58.12%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$34.38 NOK 319

-67.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$55.1 NOK 512

-69.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$59.1 NOK 549

13.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$29.46 NOK 274

-63.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$20.16 NOK 187

-62.80%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$217 NOK 2,013

119.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$16.1K NOK 149.1K

-29.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$104 NOK 968

-40.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$60.5 NOK 562

-53.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$136 NOK 1,264

-30.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$106 NOK 983

-18.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,270 NOK 11.8K

-43.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$884 NOK 8,214

-44.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,595 NOK 14.8K

20.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,517 NOK 14.1K

-5.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,359 NOK 40.5K

-4.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,609 NOK 33.5K

-15.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,415 NOK 41.0K

-88.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.94

12.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hamar

$884 35.9% 80.1% $393

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hamar

$463 18.8% 74.1% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hamar

$319 13% 157% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hamar

$183 7.4% 50.1% $61

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hamar

$402 16.3% 230% $280

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hamar

$99 4% 20.9% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hamar

$110 4.5% 55.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,270 in Hamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamar pays about 8.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $129 in Hamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $463 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Hamar

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

33,059

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hamar 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hamar

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 Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,461 in Hamar, so Phuket is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,270 in Hamar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Hamar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $129 in Hamar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,461 in Hamar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Hamar. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Hamar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.