Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,850 in Lulea, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lulea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,850 in Lulea.

Phuket $1,278
Lulea $1,850

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,016 in Lulea.

Phuket $2,216
Lulea $3,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,181 in Lulea.

Phuket $3,154
Lulea $4,181

Living in Phuket costs roughly 31% less than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Lulea is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.19 SEK 120

-63.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$110 SEK 1,081

-70.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.37 SEK 112

-22.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.55 SEK 44.71

-37.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.83 SEK 27.75

-69.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$2.34 SEK 22.94

-79.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$9.60 SEK 94.3

-73.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.40 SEK 92.3

-60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.94 SEK 19.09

-14.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.43 SEK 33.69

-57.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.94 SEK 48.50

-69.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.62 SEK 45.32

-54.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.57 SEK 123

51.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.45 SEK 132

-75.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.18 SEK 237

-54.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.00 SEK 29.42

-2.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.62 SEK 25.72

-35.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.46 SEK 24.19

-8.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.12 SEK 40.49

-49.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.05 SEK 20.16

-26.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.57 SEK 15.39

-12.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$3.38 SEK 33.17

-68.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.23 SEK 12.11

-57.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.84 SEK 67.2

-38.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.99 SEK 118

56.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.68 SEK 16.46

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.81 SEK 17.80

56.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.26 SEK 32.06

-55.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$55.6 SEK 546

1.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$8.97 SEK 88.1

-66.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.12 SEK 20.85

-51.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$70.3 SEK 690

-94.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.73 SEK 16.97

-15.03%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$32.7K SEK 320.8K

-18.05%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$34.3K SEK 336.4K

-22.10%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$166 SEK 1,635

-42.13%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$31.95 SEK 314

-64.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$26.95 SEK 265

-37.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$47.34 SEK 465

42.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$35.22 SEK 346

-69.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.98 SEK 127

-42.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$152 SEK 1,496

212.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,415 SEK 53.2K

108.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$119 SEK 1,173

-47.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.92 SEK 323

-13.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$124 SEK 1,221

-24.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$162 SEK 1,594

-47.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$774 SEK 7,601

-7.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$587 SEK 5,768

-16.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,462 SEK 14.4K

31.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,097 SEK 10.8K

30.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,125 SEK 30.7K

33.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,206 SEK 21.7K

38.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,607 SEK 25.6K

-80.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.85

44.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lulea

$587 31.8% 19.6% $96

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lulea

$404 21.9% 51.8% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lulea

$225 12.2% 81.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lulea

$198 10.7% 62.1% $76

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lulea

$274 14.8% 125% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lulea

$73 4% 10.9% $8.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lulea

$88 4.8% 25% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $774 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $110 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $404 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

73,864

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lulea 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lulea

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 Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Lulea. 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 81% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $774 in Lulea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $152 in Lulea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $110 in Lulea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,850 in Lulea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lulea. 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 Lulea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Lulea on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.