Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Moss

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,550 in Moss, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Moss, Norway
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Moss
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Moss

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,550 in Moss, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Moss $2,550

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,826 in Moss, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Moss $3,826

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,101 in Moss, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Moss $5,101

Phuket is about 50% cheaper than Moss, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Moss is 87% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Moss
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$21.58 NOK 198
-79.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$81.3 NOK 747
-60.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$13.86 NOK 127
-36.44%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$5.27 NOK 48.37
-46.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$3.27 NOK 30.06
-73.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$2.62 NOK 24.04
-81.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$7.05 NOK 64.8
-63.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$8.78 NOK 80.6
-58.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Moss
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$2.56 NOK 23.56
-35.16%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$3.69 NOK 33.87
-60.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$3.80 NOK 34.90
-60.53%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$3.64 NOK 33.48
-42.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$13.55 NOK 125
40.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$13.32 NOK 122
-75.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$28.72 NOK 264
-62.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$3.48 NOK 31.97
-15.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.54 NOK 23.37
-33.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.91 NOK 26.74
-22.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$6.16 NOK 56.6
-66.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.27 NOK 20.82
-33.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$2.58 NOK 23.69
-46.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$2.57 NOK 23.65
-58.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$2.55 NOK 23.45
-79.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$15.71 NOK 144
-73.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$16.00 NOK 147
17.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$2.70 NOK 24.82
-32.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$3.82 NOK 35.13
-25.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Moss
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$4.73 NOK 43.42
-69.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$91.3 NOK 838
-37.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$10.79 NOK 99.1
-72.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$1.86 NOK 17.05
-45.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$47.02 NOK 432
-92.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$2.33 NOK 21.37
-36.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$44.6K NOK 409.4K
-39.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$42.9K NOK 393.8K
-37.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Moss
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$300 NOK 2,755
-67.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$33.92 NOK 312
-66.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$53.9 NOK 495
-68.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Moss
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$40.39 NOK 371
66.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$35.10 NOK 322
-69.43%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$18.89 NOK 174
-60.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Moss
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$244 NOK 2,242
94.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$3,894 NOK 35.8K
189.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Moss
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$102 NOK 940
-39.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$62.0 NOK 570
-54.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$109 NOK 999
-13.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$146 NOK 1,340
-41.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Moss
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$1,246 NOK 11.4K
-42.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$945 NOK 8,684
-48.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$2,131 NOK 19.6K
-9.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,605 NOK 14.7K
-10.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$5,330 NOK 49.0K
-21.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$4,247 NOK 39.0K
-28.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Moss
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$4,406 NOK 40.5K
-88.60%
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 Moss: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Moss
$945 92.5% $454
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Moss
$467 75.3% $201
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Moss
$388 212% $263
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Moss
$189 54.7% $67
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Moss
$354 191% $232
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Moss
$78 4.9% $4
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Moss
$130 84.5% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,246 in Moss. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Moss are about 8.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $81 in Moss. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $467 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇳🇴 Moss
🕒 Local time
06:08 6:08 AM
00:08 12:08 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
52,213
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Moss 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Moss

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 Moss: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Moss?
Moss costs about 100% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Moss?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,826 in Moss. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Moss?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,246 in Moss.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Moss?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,550 in Moss. That makes Phuket about 50% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Phuket compared to Moss?
Public transport costs about 38% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Moss?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Moss at $2,550. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moss it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Moss?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,550 in Moss. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Phuket compared to Moss?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Phuket or to Moss?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moss makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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