Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,615 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lillestrom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,615 in Lillestrom.

Phuket $1,208
Lillestrom $2,615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $4,023 in Lillestrom.

Phuket $2,027
Lillestrom $4,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $5,432 in Lillestrom.

Phuket $2,845
Lillestrom $5,432

Living in Phuket costs roughly 54% less than in Lillestrom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Lillestrom is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$20.91 NOK 197

-78.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$121 NOK 1,135

-73.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$11.05 NOK 104

-20.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$6.17 NOK 58.1

-54.13%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$4.05 NOK 38.09

-77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$3.12 NOK 29.36

-84.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$11.80 NOK 111

-78.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$10.45 NOK 98.4

-63.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-29.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.62 NOK 34.06

-59.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.08 NOK 38.37

-62.99%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.73 NOK 53.9

-62.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.08 NOK 123

50.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$13.77 NOK 130

-75.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$27.30 NOK 257

-59.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.46 NOK 32.55

-17.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.81 NOK 26.45

-39.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.08 NOK 38.40

-46.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$5.45 NOK 51.3

-62.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.75 NOK 25.85

-47.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.69 NOK 34.71

-62.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.79 NOK 16.80

-40.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.28 NOK 21.44

-77.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$17.49 NOK 165

-75.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$16.88 NOK 159

10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$5.57 NOK 52.5

-68.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$5.86 NOK 55.1

-51.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$4.46 NOK 42.01

-49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$83.8 NOK 789

-73.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$11.92 NOK 112

-74.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.85 NOK 17.44

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$69.1 NOK 650

-94.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.29 NOK 21.53

-36.68%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$48.5K NOK 456.4K

-45.70%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$44.4K NOK 418.1K

-39.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$269 NOK 2,532

-64.17%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$32.87 NOK 309

-66.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$52.5 NOK 494

-67.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$49.58 NOK 467

5.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$36.47 NOK 343

-69.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$17.09 NOK 161

-54.30%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$238 NOK 2,244

133.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$13.1K NOK 122.8K

-11.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$101 NOK 955

-36.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$55.8 NOK 525

-48.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$126 NOK 1,186

-24.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$158 NOK 1,484

-44.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,245 NOK 11.7K

-40.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$982 NOK 9,242

-52.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,945 NOK 18.3K

7.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,658 NOK 15.6K

-27.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$6,206 NOK 58.4K

-43.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$4,015 NOK 37.8K

-37.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,767 NOK 35.5K

-86.71%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Lillestrom: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Lillestrom

$982 37.5% 112% $519

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Lillestrom

$491 18.8% 82.8% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Lillestrom

$354 13.6% 184% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Lillestrom

$198 7.6% 59.6% $74

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Lillestrom

$383 14.7% 216% $262

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Lillestrom

$84 3.2% 23.6% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Lillestrom

$123 4.7% 212% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lillestrom pays 652% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $121 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $491 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

94,585

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lillestrom 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lillestrom

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 Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 116% lower than in Lillestrom. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 652% lower in Lillestrom. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $238 in Lillestrom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Lillestrom. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,615 in Lillestrom, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lillestrom. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Lillestrom are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Lillestrom. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.