Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,710 in Helsingborg, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Helsingborg

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,710 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Helsingborg $1,710

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,636 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Helsingborg $2,636

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $3,561 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Helsingborg $3,561

Phuket is about 29% cheaper than Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Helsingborg is 26% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$13.35 SEK 132

-67.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$69.2 SEK 686

-53.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$12.75 SEK 126

-31.29%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.53 SEK 44.87

-37.53%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.88 SEK 28.49

-68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.38 SEK 23.60

-80.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.81 SEK 67.5

-62.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.20 SEK 61.4

-38.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.47 SEK 14.61

17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.69 SEK 26.65

-45.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.93 SEK 29.08

-48.46%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.90 SEK 38.60

-44.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.24 SEK 111

75.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$11.27 SEK 112

-70.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.15 SEK 150

-26.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.14 SEK 31.11

-9.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.53 SEK 25.03

-32.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.89 SEK 28.67

-24.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.47 SEK 44.31

-54.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.72 SEK 17.02

-15.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.58 SEK 15.64

-12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.86 SEK 18.38

-42.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.61 SEK 15.99

-68.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$8.18 SEK 81.0

-47.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.09 SEK 90.1

104.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.10 SEK 20.78

-15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.20 SEK 21.77

29.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.26 SEK 32.25

-30.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$62.2 SEK 616

-64.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$6.28 SEK 62.2

-52.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.72 SEK 17.00

-38.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$60.5 SEK 599

-93.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-19.44%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$32.8K SEK 325.2K

-19.78%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$33.8K SEK 335.2K

-20.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$103 SEK 1,020

-6.35%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$19.97 SEK 198

-44.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$33.57 SEK 333

-48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$38.54 SEK 382

35.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$22.23 SEK 220

-49.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$14.82 SEK 147

-47.30%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$176 SEK 1,746

215.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$80.1 SEK 794

-19.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$33.62 SEK 333

-14.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$87.2 SEK 864

9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$107 SEK 1,060

-17.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$846 SEK 8,380

-12.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$652 SEK 6,464

-29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,399 SEK 13.9K

49.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

11.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,133 SEK 31.0K

11.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,265 SEK 22.4K

11.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$2,880 SEK 28.5K

-82.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.06

82.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Helsingborg

$652 38.2% 41.1% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Helsingborg

$337 19.7% 25.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Helsingborg

$156 9.2% 25.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Helsingborg

$139 8.1% 11.5% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Helsingborg

$267 15.6% 120% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Helsingborg

$68 4% 0.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Helsingborg

$90 5.3% 128% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $846 in Helsingborg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 475% higher in Helsingborg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $69.0 in Helsingborg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $337 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

93,838

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Helsingborg 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $1,710 in Helsingborg – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $2,565 in Helsingborg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 181% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $176 in Helsingborg. 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 $1,208, than in Helsingborg at $1,710. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Helsingborg 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 $1,208 in Phuket to $1,710 in Helsingborg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Helsingborg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.