Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Molde

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,288 in Molde, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Molde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,288 in Molde.

Phuket $1,278
Molde $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,546 in Molde.

Phuket $2,216
Molde $3,546

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,803 in Molde.

Phuket $3,154
Molde $4,803

Living in Phuket costs roughly 44% less than in Molde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Molde is 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.79 NOK 155

-73.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$99.2 NOK 915

-67.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.43 NOK 124

-34.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.01 NOK 36.98

-29.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.96 NOK 27.26

-70.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$3.48 NOK 32.03

-85.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$12.98 NOK 120

-80.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$12.03 NOK 111

-69.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.00 NOK 27.62

-44.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$4.41 NOK 40.63

-66.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.01 NOK 36.94

-62.59%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.49 NOK 50.6

-61.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$18.51 NOK 171

3.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$15.95 NOK 147

-79.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.46 NOK 31.93

-15.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.16 NOK 29.12

-46.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.06 NOK 28.20

-26.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.95 NOK 45.65

-57.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.62 NOK 24.17

-42.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.31 NOK 21.29

-40.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.84 NOK 26.19

-62.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$20.15 NOK 186

-79.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$23.18 NOK 214

-18.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.27 NOK 39.32

-57.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$7.88 NOK 72.6

-63.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$5.28 NOK 48.62

-72.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$84.8 NOK 782

-33.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$16.27 NOK 150

-81.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.41 NOK 22.21

-39.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

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

$11.26 ฿380

$21.68 NOK 200

-48.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$84.8 NOK 782

-80.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$58.8 NOK 542

14.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$18.72 NOK 173

-59.94%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$217 NOK 1,998

119.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$113 NOK 1,044

-44.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$138 NOK 1,271

-31.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$160 NOK 1,476

-46.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,276 NOK 11.8K

-43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,013 NOK 9,335

-51.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,931 NOK 17.8K

-0.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,710 NOK 15.8K

-16.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,375 NOK 40.3K

-88.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.8

16.04%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Molde

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Molde

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Molde

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Molde

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Molde

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Molde

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Molde

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,276 in Molde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays about 8.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $99 in Molde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $428 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Molde

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,920

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Molde 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Molde

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 Molde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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 $1,276 in Molde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $217 in Molde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Molde. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,288 in Molde, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Molde. 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 Molde 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 44% less than in Molde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.