Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kista

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,683 in Kista, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Kista
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Kista Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kista

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,683 in Kista, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Kista $1,683

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,678 in Kista, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Kista $2,678

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,674 in Kista, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Kista $3,674

Phuket is about 23% cheaper than Kista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Kista is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$13.69 SEK 134

-67.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$78.5 SEK 767

-58.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$10.26 SEK 100

-15.20%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$4.63 SEK 45.28

-41.25%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.70 SEK 26.43

-65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$2.28 SEK 22.25

-78.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$7.39 SEK 72.2

-65.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$6.95 SEK 67.9

-47.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.70 SEK 16.57

2.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.78 SEK 27.18

-47.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$3.88 SEK 37.91

-61.34%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$4.21 SEK 41.11

-48.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$11.16 SEK 109

71.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$12.61 SEK 123

-73.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$17.78 SEK 174

-38.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$3.43 SEK 33.50

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.48 SEK 24.24

-31.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$3.02 SEK 29.55

-27.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$4.55 SEK 44.46

-53.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.48 SEK 14.46

-1.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.56 SEK 15.27

-12.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.13 SEK 20.79

-49.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.41 SEK 13.78

-60.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$7.74 SEK 75.6

-42.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$9.61 SEK 93.9

89.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.94 SEK 18.92

-8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.18 SEK 21.28

32.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$3.26 SEK 31.83

-55.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$76.7 SEK 750

-28.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$5.75 SEK 56.2

-73.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.91 SEK 18.70

-59.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$53.7 SEK 525

-92.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.92 SEK 18.78

-22.40%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$35.0K SEK 342.4K

-23.29%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$38.7K SEK 378.0K

-31.89%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$105 SEK 1,021

-6.40%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$23.32 SEK 228

-51.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$39.95 SEK 390

-56.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$36.57 SEK 357

86.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$28.57 SEK 279

-61.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$16.61 SEK 162

-55.27%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$149 SEK 1,453

256.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$4,520 SEK 44.2K

315.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$96.6 SEK 944

-36.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$39.95 SEK 390

-29.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$84.2 SEK 822

14.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$158 SEK 1,545

-45.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$739 SEK 7,220

-2.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$543 SEK 5,304

-6.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$1,447 SEK 14.1K

34.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$963 SEK 9,408

45.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$3,520 SEK 34.4K

19.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$2,740 SEK 26.8K

20.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.38

64.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kista: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kista

$543 32.3% 6.7% $34

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kista

$360 21.4% 34.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kista

$168 10% 32.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kista

$170 10.1% 38.9% $48

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kista

$267 15.9% 123% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kista

$70 4.2% 16.1% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kista

$105 6.2% 59% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $739 in Kista. 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 $79 in Kista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $360 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Kista

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,254

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 SEK = 10.23 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.77 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.97 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kista 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kista

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 Kista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kista costs about 30% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,524 in Kista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $721 in Phuket and $739 in Kista. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,683 in Kista. That makes Phuket about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Kista at $1,683. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kista it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,294 versus $1,683 in Kista. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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