Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,611 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Harstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,611 in Harstad.

Phuket $1,278
Harstad $2,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,888 in Harstad.

Phuket $2,216
Harstad $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,164 in Harstad.

Phuket $3,154
Harstad $5,164

Living in Phuket costs roughly 51% less than in Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Harstad is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.27 NOK 131

-68.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$106 NOK 971

-69.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.97 NOK 147

-44.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$6.27 NOK 57.6

-54.86%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.70 NOK 34.03

-76.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$3.18 NOK 29.18

-84.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$12.77 NOK 117

-79.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$14.04 NOK 129

-73.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.54 NOK 23.33

-34.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.39 NOK 31.10

-56.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.14 NOK 28.83

-52.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.42 NOK 40.61

-52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.37 NOK 104

67.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$15.31 NOK 141

-78.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$41.97 NOK 386

-74.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.28 NOK 39.30

-31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.87 NOK 26.38

-41.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.87 NOK 35.55

-41.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.79 NOK 43.97

-56.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.21 NOK 20.33

-31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.18 NOK 20.03

-36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$3.00 NOK 27.55

-64.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.34 NOK 21.49

-77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$16.41 NOK 151

-74.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.93 NOK 146

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.90 NOK 35.82

-53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$4.89 NOK 44.90

-41.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$6.17 NOK 56.7

-76.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$84.1 NOK 772

-32.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$15.98 NOK 147

-81.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.91 NOK 17.52

-46.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$58.0 NOK 533

-93.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.34 NOK 21.48

-37.18%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

-27.52%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

-15.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$173 NOK 1,587

-44.23%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.51 NOK 326

-68.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$79.5 NOK 731

-78.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$49.72 NOK 457

35.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$36.95 NOK 339

-70.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.75 NOK 163

-57.75%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$325 NOK 2,985

46.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

112.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$68.8 NOK 632

-9.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$35.70 NOK 328

-20.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$121 NOK 1,115

-22.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$170 NOK 1,563

-49.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

-49.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,053 NOK 9,673

-53.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

-18.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

-6.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

-34.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

-30.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

-85.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3% 115% $562

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Harstad

$516 19.8% 93.9% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Harstad

$288 11% 131% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Harstad

$178 6.8% 46.2% $56

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Harstad

$357 13.7% 193% $235

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Harstad

$85 3.3% 3.6% $3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Harstad

$134 5.1% 90.2% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,411 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harstad pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $106 in Harstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $516 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

25,119

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Harstad 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 86% 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 $1,411 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Harstad. 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 $106 in Harstad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,611 in Harstad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Harstad. 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 51% less than in Harstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.