Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karmøy

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,721 in Karmøy, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Karmøy
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Karmøy Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Karmøy

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Karmøy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,721 in Karmøy.

Phuket $1,294
Karmøy $2,721

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,116 in Karmøy.

Phuket $2,204
Karmøy $4,116

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,510 in Karmøy.

Phuket $3,115
Karmøy $5,510

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Karmøy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Karmøy is 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$21.58 NOK 200

-79.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$108 NOK 998

-69.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$16.18 NOK 150

-46.23%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$5.40 NOK 50.1

-49.63%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$4.29 NOK 39.81

-78.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$3.25 NOK 30.12

-84.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$12.04 NOK 112

-78.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$10.56 NOK 98.0

-65.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.57 NOK 23.89

-32.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.66 NOK 33.95

-60.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$3.96 NOK 36.76

-62.12%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$5.05 NOK 46.82

-57.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$13.40 NOK 124

42.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$16.11 NOK 150

-78.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$31.83 NOK 295

-65.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$3.42 NOK 31.73

-14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.67 NOK 24.81

-36.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$3.60 NOK 33.41

-39.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$5.05 NOK 46.82

-58.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.57 NOK 23.83

-43.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$2.97 NOK 27.57

-53.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$3.07 NOK 28.49

-64.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$2.42 NOK 22.50

-77.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$17.96 NOK 167

-75.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$16.70 NOK 155

9.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$3.46 NOK 32.09

-48.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$4.31 NOK 40.00

-33.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$4.68 NOK 43.46

-69.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$86.0 NOK 798

-36.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$12.26 NOK 114

-87.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.83 NOK 16.99

-57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$72.7 NOK 674

-94.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$2.41 NOK 22.33

-38.17%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$49.9K NOK 462.8K

-46.10%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$44.5K NOK 412.9K

-40.79%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$277 NOK 2,568

-64.65%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$33.72 NOK 313

-66.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$55.9 NOK 518

-69.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$49.75 NOK 462

37.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$37.27 NOK 346

-70.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$17.37 NOK 161

-57.23%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$241 NOK 2,238

119.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$13.2K NOK 122.8K

41.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$103 NOK 952

-39.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$57.5 NOK 534

-50.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$130 NOK 1,204

-25.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$163 NOK 1,511

-46.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,262 NOK 11.7K

-42.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,041 NOK 9,664

-51.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$2,042 NOK 19.0K

-4.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,709 NOK 15.9K

-18.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$6,491 NOK 60.2K

-35.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$4,250 NOK 39.4K

-22.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$4,008 NOK 37.2K

-87.73%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karmøy: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Karmøy

$1K 38.3% 105% $533

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Karmøy

$502 18.4% 88% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Karmøy

$366 13.5% 190% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Karmøy

$204 7.5% 66% $81

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Karmøy

$397 14.6% 232% $278

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Karmøy

$84 3.1% 1.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Karmøy

$126 4.6% 91% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karmøy pays about 8.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $107 in Karmøy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $502 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Karmøy

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

22:20 10:20 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

43,404

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.28 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.42 NOK (100 NOK = 9.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Karmøy 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Karmøy

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 Karmøy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,721 in Karmøy, so Phuket is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 36% less than in Karmøy. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $241 in Karmøy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,721 in Karmøy, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Karmøy. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Karmøy are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Karmøy. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.