Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kiruna

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,747 in Kiruna, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Kiruna
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Kiruna Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Kiruna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kiruna

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,747 in Kiruna, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Kiruna $1,747

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,915 in Kiruna, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Kiruna $2,915

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $4,082 in Kiruna, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Kiruna $4,082

Phuket is about 31% cheaper than Kiruna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Kiruna is 29% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$13.82 SEK 137

-68.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$128 SEK 1,270

-74.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.40 SEK 103

-15.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.33 SEK 42.90

-34.64%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.69 SEK 26.70

-66.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.26 SEK 22.37

-79.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$9.54 SEK 94.5

-73.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.59 SEK 65.3

-41.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.45 SEK 14.34

19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.80 SEK 27.79

-47.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.72 SEK 36.83

-59.41%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.55 SEK 35.18

-38.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.29 SEK 122

60.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$13.80 SEK 137

-75.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$19.62 SEK 194

-43.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.79 SEK 27.66

2.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.53 SEK 25.12

-32.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.61 SEK 25.90

-16.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.40 SEK 43.63

-53.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.47 SEK 14.58

-1.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.59 SEK 15.77

-13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.01 SEK 19.93

-46.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.56 SEK 15.46

-67.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.46 SEK 64.0

-34.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.69 SEK 96.1

91.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.98 SEK 19.65

-10.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.99 SEK 19.75

43.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.22 SEK 31.95

-29.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$79.4 SEK 787

-72.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.85 SEK 57.9

-48.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.68 SEK 16.68

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$56.9 SEK 563

-93.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.11 SEK 20.90

-31.28%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$31.3K SEK 310.1K

-15.88%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$33.3K SEK 329.6K

-19.00%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$95.9 SEK 951

0.46%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$24.86 SEK 246

-55.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$35.94 SEK 356

-52.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$37.74 SEK 374

38.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$25.04 SEK 248

-55.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$15.92 SEK 158

-50.94%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$152 SEK 1,506

265.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,610 SEK 55.6K

106.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$100 SEK 993

-35.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$44.87 SEK 445

-36.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$81.8 SEK 810

16.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$139 SEK 1,378

-36.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$812 SEK 8,047

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$610 SEK 6,043

-24.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,363 SEK 13.5K

53.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

6.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,456 SEK 34.2K

0.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,527 SEK 25.0K

-0.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,257 SEK 32.3K

-84.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kiruna: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Kiruna

$610 34.9% 31.9% $148

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Kiruna

$366 20.9% 36.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Kiruna

$157 9% 25.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kiruna

$165 9.4% 32.5% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Kiruna

$274 15.7% 126% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Kiruna

$70 4% 2.6% $1.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kiruna

$107 6.1% 170% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $812 in Kiruna. 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 551% higher in Kiruna, 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 $128 in Kiruna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $366 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Kiruna

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

22,454

💱 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 Kiruna 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kiruna

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 Kiruna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $1,747 in Kiruna – roughly 45% 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 $2,621 in Kiruna. 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.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Kiruna, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $128 in Kiruna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Kiruna at $1,747. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kiruna 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 $1,747 in Kiruna. 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, Kiruna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.