Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Horten

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,702 in Horten, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Horten, Norway
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Horten
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,702
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Horten

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,702 in Horten, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Horten $2,702

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,828 in Horten, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Horten $3,828

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,954 in Horten, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Horten $4,954

Phuket is about 53% cheaper than Horten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Horten is 99% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Horten
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$21.23 NOK 197
-78.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$127 NOK 1,177
-74.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$16.02 NOK 149
-45.01%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$6.12 NOK 56.8
-53.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$3.00 NOK 27.88
-71.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$3.19 NOK 29.63
-84.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$11.94 NOK 111
-78.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$12.77 NOK 119
-71.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Horten
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$2.39 NOK 22.18
-30.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$3.65 NOK 33.90
-60.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$4.14 NOK 38.45
-63.77%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$5.30 NOK 49.22
-60.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$7.97 NOK 74.1
139.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$15.72 NOK 146
-79.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$12.10 NOK 112
-9.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$3.33 NOK 30.97
-12.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$2.70 NOK 25.08
-37.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$3.52 NOK 32.74
-36.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$5.87 NOK 54.5
-64.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.80 NOK 26.06
-46.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$2.90 NOK 26.94
-52.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$2.20 NOK 20.42
-51.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$2.43 NOK 22.54
-78.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$19.01 NOK 177
-77.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$16.87 NOK 157
11.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$3.51 NOK 32.61
-48.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$4.27 NOK 39.69
-33.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Horten
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$4.94 NOK 45.93
-70.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$89.6 NOK 833
-36.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$12.29 NOK 114
-75.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.91 NOK 17.73
-46.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$70.1 NOK 651
-94.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$2.45 NOK 22.76
-40.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$48.4K NOK 449.9K
-44.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$45.2K NOK 420.3K
-41.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Horten
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$430 NOK 3,993
-77.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$34.72 NOK 323
-67.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$53.8 NOK 500
-68.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Horten
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$20.50 NOK 190
-63.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Horten
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$130 NOK 1,208
265.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$15.8K NOK 146.7K
-28.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Horten
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$105 NOK 975
-40.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$42.84 NOK 398
-33.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$58.3 NOK 541
61.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$158 NOK 1,472
-45.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Horten
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$1,133 NOK 10.5K
-36.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$1,021 NOK 9,489
-51.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$1,810 NOK 16.8K
6.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,292 NOK 12.0K
10.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Horten
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.94
12.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Horten: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Horten
$1K 108% $530
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Horten
$425 59.7% $159
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Horten
$518 316% $394
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Horten
$164 34.6% $42
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Horten
$401 230% $280
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Horten
$41 * 50.2% $41
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Horten
$131 86% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,133 in Horten. 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 $127 in Horten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $425 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇳🇴 Horten
🕒 Local time
05:11 5:11 AM
23:11 11:11 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
28,001
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, 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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Horten 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Horten

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 Horten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Horten compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,702 in Horten – Phuket comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Horten?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $4,054 in Horten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Horten?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,133 in Horten.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Horten?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,702 in Horten. That makes Phuket about 53% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Phuket and in Horten?
Public transport costs about 37% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Horten at $2,702. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Horten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Horten?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,702 in Horten. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Phuket or Horten safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Horten?
For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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