Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kolbotn

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,540 in Kolbotn, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Kolbotn
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Kolbotn Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kolbotn

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kolbotn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,540 in Kolbotn.

Phuket $1,278
Kolbotn $2,540

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,844 in Kolbotn.

Phuket $2,216
Kolbotn $3,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,147 in Kolbotn.

Phuket $3,154
Kolbotn $5,147

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Kolbotn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Kolbotn is 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$21.37 NOK 199

-79.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$129 NOK 1,197

-74.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$16.00 NOK 149

-44.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.87 NOK 54.5

-51.79%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$4.54 NOK 42.17

-80.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$3.43 NOK 31.84

-85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$11.92 NOK 111

-78.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$12.78 NOK 119

-71.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.11 NOK 19.63

-21.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.46 NOK 22.90

-40.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.27 NOK 21.12

-33.92%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.09 NOK 47.25

-58.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.04 NOK 140

26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$16.10 NOK 150

-79.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$31.83 NOK 296

-65.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.92 NOK 27.15

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.02 NOK 18.76

-16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.64 NOK 33.79

-38.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.90 NOK 45.56

-57.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.16 NOK 20.04

-30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.31 NOK 21.45

-40.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.13 NOK 29.04

-65.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.64 NOK 15.23

-68.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$19.35 NOK 180

-78.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.73 NOK 155

12.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.62 NOK 33.67

-49.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.22 NOK 39.22

-32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$4.67 NOK 43.42

-68.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$86.3 NOK 802

-34.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$12.09 NOK 112

-75.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.85 NOK 17.18

-44.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$72.9 NOK 677

-94.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.23 NOK 20.71

-34.08%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$50.3K NOK 467.4K

-46.78%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$44.8K NOK 416.0K

-40.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$112 NOK 1,041

-14.02%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$21.57 NOK 200

-47.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$54.8 NOK 509

-69.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$49.22 NOK 457

36.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$37.00 NOK 344

-71.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.48 NOK 144

-51.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$242 NOK 2,246

96.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$16.1K NOK 149.3K

-29.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$105 NOK 973

-40.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$61.0 NOK 567

-53.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$135 NOK 1,253

-30.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$159 NOK 1,478

-46.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,253 NOK 11.6K

-42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,067 NOK 9,911

-53.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,044 NOK 19.0K

-5.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,493 NOK 13.9K

-4.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$6,511 NOK 60.5K

-35.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$4,158 NOK 38.6K

-26.77%

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 Kolbotn: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kolbotn

$1.1K 42% 117% $576

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kolbotn

$465 18.3% 74.8% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kolbotn

$188 7.4% 51.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kolbotn

$207 8.1% 69.7% $85

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kolbotn

$406 16% 234% $285

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kolbotn

$80 3.2% 2.5% $2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kolbotn

$126 5% 79% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,253 in Kolbotn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $129 in Kolbotn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $465 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Kolbotn

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 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 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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kolbotn 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kolbotn

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 Kolbotn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Kolbotn. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,811 in Kolbotn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,253 in Kolbotn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 34% less than in Kolbotn. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $242 in Kolbotn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,540 in Kolbotn, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kolbotn. 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 Kolbotn 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 50% less than in Kolbotn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.