Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,723 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hella

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,723 in Hella, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Hella $1,723

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,927 in Hella, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Hella $2,927

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $4,131 in Hella, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Hella $4,131

Phuket is about 25% cheaper than Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Hella is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$31.22 ISK 3,793

-85.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$121 ISK 14.7K

-73.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$27.24 ISK 3,310

-68.06%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$6.89 ISK 837

-60.52%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$3.25 ISK 395

-71.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$3.08 ISK 375

-83.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$14.16 ISK 1,721

-82.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$12.30 ISK 1,495

-70.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.00 ISK 243

-13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$4.30 ISK 522

-66.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.66 ISK 444

-59.02%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$7.27 ISK 883

-70.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$21.85 ISK 2,654

-12.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$24.10 ISK 2,928

-85.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$41.15 ISK 4,999

-73.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.36 ISK 408

-12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.83 ISK 343

-40.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.21 ISK 390

-31.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$6.56 ISK 798

-67.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$3.91 ISK 475

-62.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.69 ISK 205

-18.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$3.64 ISK 442

-70.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.83 ISK 223

-69.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$13.97 ISK 1,697

-68.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$23.32 ISK 2,834

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$3.66 ISK 445

-51.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.49 ISK 424

-17.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$6.76 ISK 821

-77.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$2.75 ISK 334

-71.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$80.8 ISK 9,813

-95.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.10 ISK 255

-29.05%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$67.9K ISK 8.2M

-60.39%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$56.3K ISK 6.8M

-53.17%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$96.8 ISK 11.8K

1.01%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$32.49 ISK 3,948

-65.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

-79.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$19.81 ISK 2,407

-62.49%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$1,205 ISK 146.4K

-55.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

-26.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$150 ISK 18.2K

-58.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$66.8 ISK 8,112

-57.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$185 ISK 22.5K

-48.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$252 ISK 30.6K

-65.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.81

-36.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hella: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Hella

$619 35.9% 132% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Hella

$214 12.4% 69.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Hella

$294 17.1% 140% $171

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Hella

$535 31.1% 347% $415

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Hella

$40 * 2.3% 52.4% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 69% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $121 in Hella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $619 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

06:02 6:02 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.36 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hella 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,723 in Hella – Phuket comes out roughly 25% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,584 in Hella. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,723 in Hella. That makes Phuket about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $1,205 in Hella. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Hella at $1,723. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella 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 $1,294 in Phuket to $1,723 in Hella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.