Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Marsta

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,657 in Marsta, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Marsta
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Marsta Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Marsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Marsta

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,657 in Marsta, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Marsta $1,657

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,563 in Marsta, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Marsta $2,563

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,468 in Marsta, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Marsta $3,468

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

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Marsta is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.29 SEK 130

-66.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$64.3 SEK 632

-49.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.28 SEK 101

-14.30%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.31 SEK 42.30

-34.34%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.00 SEK 19.68

-56.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.83 SEK 17.95

-73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.88 SEK 67.6

-62.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.94 SEK 68.1

-46.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.72 SEK 16.85

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.15 SEK 30.93

-53.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$5.73 SEK 56.3

-73.82%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.67 SEK 36.06

-43.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.27 SEK 130

43.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.05 SEK 88.8

-63.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.91 SEK 166

-35.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.93 SEK 28.80

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.68 SEK 26.36

-36.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.08 SEK 20.39

8.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.67 SEK 36.01

-43.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.43 SEK 14.09

5.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.48 SEK 14.54

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.99 SEK 19.58

-46.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.91 SEK 18.78

-72.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.96 SEK 68.4

-39.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.01 SEK 98.3

87.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.97 SEK 19.33

-7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.15 SEK 21.14

32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.39 SEK 33.33

-57.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$77.3 SEK 759

-26.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$13.37 SEK 131

-77.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.07 SEK 20.29

-50.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$56.9 SEK 558

-93.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.77 SEK 17.37

-16.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$33.7K SEK 330.7K

-20.50%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$33.8K SEK 332.3K

-21.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$61.2 SEK 601

57.43%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.72 SEK 282

-60.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$40.48 SEK 397

-58.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$37.42 SEK 367

79.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$26.31 SEK 258

-59.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.10 SEK 158

-53.42%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$219 SEK 2,149

117.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$4,996 SEK 49.1K

125.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$50.5 SEK 496

23.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.77 SEK 292

-4.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$91.2 SEK 895

3.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$103 SEK 1,009

-16.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$811 SEK 7,959

-11.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$615 SEK 6,039

-20.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,380 SEK 13.6K

39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,006 SEK 9,879

42.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,040 SEK 39.7K

3.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,789 SEK 27.4K

9.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,609 SEK 45.3K

-89.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.8

98.93%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Marsta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Marsta

$615 37.1% 25.3% $124

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Marsta

$352 21.2% 32.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Marsta

$130 7.9% 4.8% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Marsta

$123 7.5% 1.2% $1.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Marsta

$252 15.2% 107% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Marsta

$70 4.2% 15.3% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Marsta

$115 6.9% 62.3% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $811 in Marsta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Marsta are about 9.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $64 in Marsta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $352 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Marsta

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

08:31 8:31 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,068

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 = 9.13 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Marsta 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Marsta

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 Marsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsta is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,486 in Marsta. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $811 in Marsta.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $64 in Marsta. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,657 in Marsta. That makes Phuket about 23% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Marsta at $1,657. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsta 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,657 in Marsta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marsta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.