Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karlstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,727 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Karlstad

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,727 in Karlstad, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Karlstad $1,727

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,665 in Karlstad, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Karlstad $2,665

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,603 in Karlstad, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Karlstad $3,603

Phuket is about 26% cheaper than Karlstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Karlstad is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.14 SEK 149

-70.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$80.5 SEK 791

-59.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.07 SEK 98.9

-12.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.86 SEK 47.71

-41.77%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.45 SEK 24.02

-64.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$2.16 SEK 21.26

-77.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$8.08 SEK 79.3

-68.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.60 SEK 64.8

-44.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.45 SEK 14.23

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.83 SEK 27.82

-48.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.68 SEK 36.16

-59.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.37 SEK 42.88

-52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.17 SEK 99.9

87.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.96 SEK 137

-76.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.73 SEK 174

-38.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.95 SEK 28.93

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.68 SEK 26.36

-36.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.03 SEK 29.73

-25.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.40 SEK 53.0

-61.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.92 SEK 18.81

-21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.72 SEK 16.85

-19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.64 SEK 25.89

-59.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.30 SEK 12.75

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.96 SEK 68.3

-39.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.17 SEK 99.9

84.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.42 SEK 23.81

-24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.04 SEK 19.99

39.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.13 SEK 30.72

-53.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$80.4 SEK 789

-29.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.46 SEK 53.6

-44.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.29 SEK 12.68

-20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$60.4 SEK 593

-93.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.72 SEK 16.91

-14.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$32.6K SEK 320.6K

-17.98%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$33.8K SEK 331.4K

-20.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$99.4 SEK 976

-3.05%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.73 SEK 154

-28.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.76 SEK 430

-61.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$45.27 SEK 445

48.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.66 SEK 164

-35.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.08 SEK 138

-46.73%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$126 SEK 1,237

277.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$106 SEK 1,038

-41.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.85 SEK 391

-28.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$75.9 SEK 745

24.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$141 SEK 1,385

-39.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$868 SEK 8,524

-17.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$575 SEK 5,642

-14.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

62.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$867 SEK 8,510

65.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

8.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

9.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

-84.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.09

36.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Karlstad

$575 33.3% 17% $84

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Karlstad

$370 21.4% 39.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Karlstad

$159 9.2% 27.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karlstad

$163 9.5% 33.8% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karlstad

$282 16.3% 132% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Karlstad

$73 4.3% 10.7% $8.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Karlstad

$105 6.1% 48.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $868 in Karlstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karlstad are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $81 in Karlstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $370 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

62,797

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Karlstad 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karlstad is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,590 in Karlstad. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $868 in Karlstad.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $81 in Karlstad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,727 in Karlstad. That makes Phuket about 26% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Karlstad at $1,727. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlstad 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,727 in Karlstad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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