Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Narvik

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,530 in Narvik, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Narvik
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Narvik Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Narvik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Narvik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,530 in Narvik.

Phuket $1,278
Narvik $2,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,868 in Narvik.

Phuket $2,216
Narvik $3,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,205 in Narvik.

Phuket $3,154
Narvik $5,205

Living in Phuket costs roughly 49% less than in Narvik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Narvik is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$32.33 NOK 297

-86.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$96.1 NOK 883

-66.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$16.33 NOK 150

-46.05%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.91 NOK 45.08

-42.36%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.00 NOK 27.53

-71.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.87 NOK 26.36

-82.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$11.76 NOK 108

-78.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$12.36 NOK 114

-70.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.59 NOK 23.83

-35.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.34 NOK 30.65

-56.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.71 NOK 24.89

-44.65%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.24 NOK 48.17

-60.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.24 NOK 113

55.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.93 NOK 137

-77.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$23.20 NOK 213

-52.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.01 NOK 36.89

-26.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.20 NOK 20.19

-23.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.86 NOK 44.62

-53.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.49 NOK 41.21

-53.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.65 NOK 24.38

-43.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$5.00 NOK 45.92

-72.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.97 NOK 27.31

-63.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.13 NOK 19.57

-75.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$16.63 NOK 153

-74.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.47 NOK 160

7.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.52 NOK 32.30

-48.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.84 NOK 35.27

-26.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$4.66 NOK 42.84

-68.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$92.8 NOK 852

-38.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$16.25 NOK 149

-81.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.19 NOK 20.10

-53.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$54.6 NOK 501

-93.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.43 NOK 22.35

-39.51%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$41.5K NOK 381.2K

-35.46%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$38.0K NOK 348.9K

-29.72%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$267 NOK 2,451

-63.89%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$50.6 NOK 465

-77.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$86.3 NOK 793

-80.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$56.6 NOK 520

18.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$26.50 NOK 243

-59.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$18.00 NOK 165

-58.33%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$317 NOK 2,908

50.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,842 NOK 72.0K

43.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$128 NOK 1,173

-51.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$35.69 NOK 328

-20.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$143 NOK 1,315

-34.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$170 NOK 1,565

-49.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$942 NOK 8,659

-24.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$745 NOK 6,841

-34.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,668 NOK 15.3K

15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,264 NOK 11.6K

13.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,411 NOK 49.7K

-22.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,898 NOK 45.0K

-37.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,630 NOK 33.4K

-86.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.01

11.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Narvik: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Narvik

$745 29.4% 51.7% $254

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Narvik

$463 18.3% 73.8% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Narvik

$404 16% 224% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Narvik

$215 8.5% 76.1% $93

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Narvik

$474 18.7% 289% $352

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Narvik

$93 3.7% 12.6% $10

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Narvik

$139 5.5% 96.4% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $942 in Narvik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Narvik pays about 7.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $96 in Narvik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $463 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Narvik

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

14,183

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Narvik 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Narvik

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 Narvik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 49% 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 86% 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 $942 in Narvik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,530 in Narvik – Phuket is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 39% less than in Narvik. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,530 in Narvik, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Narvik. 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 Narvik 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 49% less than in Narvik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.