Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Haparanda

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,731 in Haparanda, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Haparanda, Sweden
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Haparanda
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,731
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Haparanda

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,731 in Haparanda, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Haparanda $1,731

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,715 in Haparanda, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Haparanda $2,715

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,700 in Haparanda, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Haparanda $3,700

Phuket is about 26% cheaper than Haparanda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Haparanda is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$13.47 SEK 134
-66.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$76.6 SEK 761
-57.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$9.95 SEK 98.8
-11.46%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$4.39 SEK 43.55
-35.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$2.60 SEK 25.81
-66.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$2.17 SEK 21.55
-77.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$7.25 SEK 72.0
-64.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$7.18 SEK 71.3
-48.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.64 SEK 16.29
1.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$2.70 SEK 26.78
-45.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$3.59 SEK 35.68
-58.22%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$4.04 SEK 40.10
-48.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$12.09 SEK 120
57.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$12.31 SEK 122
-73.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$17.29 SEK 172
-36.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$3.14 SEK 31.17
-6.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$2.54 SEK 25.27
-33.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.91 SEK 28.91
-22.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$4.46 SEK 44.30
-53.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.54 SEK 15.30
-1.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.62 SEK 16.07
-14.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$2.22 SEK 22.08
-51.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$1.47 SEK 14.64
-64.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$7.10 SEK 70.5
-40.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$9.90 SEK 98.4
89.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.98 SEK 19.65
-8.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.26 SEK 22.42
25.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$3.37 SEK 33.49
-56.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$79.2 SEK 786
-28.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$5.80 SEK 57.6
-47.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.66 SEK 16.47
-38.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$58.3 SEK 579
-93.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.79 SEK 17.81
-17.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$33.8K SEK 335.9K
-20.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$33.7K SEK 334.9K
-20.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$106 SEK 1,053
-9.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$25.15 SEK 250
-55.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$39.70 SEK 394
-57.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$38.40 SEK 381
75.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$25.86 SEK 257
-58.51%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$16.36 SEK 162
-54.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$156 SEK 1,549
205.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$4,971 SEK 49.4K
126.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$97.6 SEK 969
-36.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$39.99 SEK 397
-28.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$92.3 SEK 917
2.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$140 SEK 1,391
-38.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$811 SEK 8,053
-11.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$599 SEK 5,946
-18.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$1,377 SEK 13.7K
39.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,020 SEK 10.1K
40.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$3,998 SEK 39.7K
4.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,804 SEK 27.9K
8.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Haparanda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.37
65.28%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Haparanda: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Haparanda
$599 22% $108
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Haparanda
$357 34.1% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Haparanda
$171 37.3% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Haparanda
$166 36.6% $45
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Haparanda
$260 114% $138
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Haparanda
$71 13.5% $11
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Haparanda
$107 51.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $811 in Haparanda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $77 in Haparanda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $357 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇸🇪 Haparanda
🕒 Local time
01:38 1:38 AM
19:38 7:38 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
4,800
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Haparanda 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Haparanda

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 Haparanda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Haparanda?
Yes – Haparanda is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,597 in Haparanda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $811 in Haparanda.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Haparanda?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Haparanda, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Haparanda?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $77 in Haparanda. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Haparanda?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Haparanda at $1,731. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haparanda it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Haparanda?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,731 in Haparanda. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 35% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?