Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Haugesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,775 in Haugesund, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Haugesund, Norway
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Haugesund
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Haugesund

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,775 in Haugesund, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Haugesund $2,775

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $4,105 in Haugesund, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Haugesund $4,105

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,435 in Haugesund, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Haugesund $5,435

Phuket is about 54% cheaper than Haugesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Haugesund is 104% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$22.74 NOK 210
-80.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$107 NOK 992
-69.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$14.79 NOK 137
-40.43%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$4.70 NOK 43.48
-39.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$5.17 NOK 47.87
-83.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$4.04 NOK 37.40
-87.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$11.80 NOK 109
-78.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$10.87 NOK 101
-66.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$2.34 NOK 21.61
-29.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$3.95 NOK 36.50
-63.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$3.64 NOK 33.64
-58.79%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$4.96 NOK 45.86
-57.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$11.91 NOK 110
60.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$15.27 NOK 141
-78.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$35.37 NOK 327
-69.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$3.12 NOK 28.89
-6.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$2.20 NOK 20.35
-23.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$3.60 NOK 33.34
-37.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$4.50 NOK 41.62
-53.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$2.58 NOK 23.90
-41.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$3.41 NOK 31.58
-59.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$2.91 NOK 26.91
-63.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$1.81 NOK 16.72
-71.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$18.10 NOK 167
-76.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$14.94 NOK 138
25.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$3.78 NOK 34.98
-51.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$4.28 NOK 39.62
-33.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$3.79 NOK 35.10
-61.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$69.1 NOK 639
-17.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$12.77 NOK 118
-76.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$1.82 NOK 16.79
-43.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$56.5 NOK 522
-93.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$2.45 NOK 22.63
-40.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$45.6K NOK 421.6K
-41.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$44.5K NOK 412.0K
-40.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$293 NOK 2,707
-67.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$34.97 NOK 323
-67.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$58.9 NOK 545
-71.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
$50.3 NOK 465
33.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
$38.07 NOK 352
-71.82%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$17.27 NOK 160
-56.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$244 NOK 2,256
95.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$3,038 NOK 28.1K
270.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$102 NOK 943
-38.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$54.4 NOK 503
-47.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$88.6 NOK 819
6.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$157 NOK 1,451
-45.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$1,601 NOK 14.8K
-55.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$1,130 NOK 10.5K
-56.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$2,166 NOK 20.0K
-11.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$1,727 NOK 16.0K
-17.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$6,414 NOK 59.3K
-34.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$4,876 NOK 45.1K
-37.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Haugesund
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$4,079 NOK 37.7K
-87.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.2
7.12%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Haugesund: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Haugesund
$1.1K 130% $639
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Haugesund
$486 82.7% $220
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Haugesund
$387 211% $262
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Haugesund
$181 48.3% $59
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Haugesund
$400 229% $279
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Haugesund
$85 3.2% $2.6
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Haugesund
$106 50.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,601 in Haugesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Haugesund are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $107 in Haugesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $486 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇳🇴 Haugesund
🕒 Local time
07:13 7:13 AM
01:13 1:13 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
38,362
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.25 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.3 NOK (100 NOK = 9.71 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Haugesund 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Haugesund

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 Haugesund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Haugesund?
Haugesund costs about 117% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Haugesund?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $4,163 in Haugesund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Haugesund?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,601 in Haugesund.
Are groceries more expensive in Phuket or in Haugesund?
Groceries cost about 83% more in Haugesund, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Phuket and in Haugesund?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $107 in Haugesund. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Haugesund?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Haugesund at $2,775. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haugesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Haugesund?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,775 in Haugesund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Phuket compared to Haugesund?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Phuket or to Haugesund?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Haugesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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