Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Porsgrunn

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,673 in Porsgrunn, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Porsgrunn
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Porsgrunn Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Porsgrunn

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Porsgrunn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,673 in Porsgrunn.

Phuket $1,207
Porsgrunn $2,673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,818 in Porsgrunn.

Phuket $2,037
Porsgrunn $3,818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $4,962 in Porsgrunn.

Phuket $2,867
Porsgrunn $4,962

Living in Phuket costs roughly 55% less than in Porsgrunn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Porsgrunn is 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$20.92 NOK 197

-78.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$105 NOK 990

-69.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$15.57 NOK 147

-45.09%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$5.60 NOK 52.7

-51.43%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$3.49 NOK 32.88

-73.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$3.04 NOK 28.58

-83.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$11.53 NOK 109

-77.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$10.41 NOK 98.0

-63.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.44 NOK 23.00

-28.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$4.09 NOK 38.49

-65.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$4.53 NOK 42.62

-66.23%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.79 NOK 54.5

-62.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$14.79 NOK 139

29.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$15.68 NOK 148

-78.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$31.79 NOK 299

-64.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.40 NOK 31.98

-13.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.59 NOK 24.35

-35.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.50 NOK 32.97

-34.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$5.89 NOK 55.5

-63.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.61 NOK 24.59

-41.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.90 NOK 27.33

-53.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$3.14 NOK 29.55

-64.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$2.39 NOK 22.50

-76.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$18.43 NOK 174

-76.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$16.49 NOK 155

10.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-48.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$4.13 NOK 38.90

-32.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.68 NOK 25.20

-17.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$47.08 NOK 443

-53.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$11.92 NOK 112

-75.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.87 NOK 17.65

-45.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$69.5 NOK 654

-94.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.45 NOK 23.07

-39.18%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$47.6K NOK 448.2K

-43.97%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$44.1K NOK 414.9K

-39.40%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$417 NOK 3,926

-76.17%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$32.67 NOK 308

-65.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$52.9 NOK 498

-67.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$20.21 NOK 190

-62.54%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$236 NOK 2,221

136.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$15.5K NOK 146.1K

-26.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$98.6 NOK 928

-36.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$59.0 NOK 555

-51.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$131 NOK 1,238

-26.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$158 NOK 1,487

-44.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$824 NOK 7,752

-11.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$950 NOK 8,946

-51.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,563 NOK 14.7K

34.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,259 NOK 11.9K

-2.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.8

46.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Porsgrunn: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Porsgrunn

$950 35.6% 107% $490

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Porsgrunn

$514 19.2% 92% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Porsgrunn

$503 18.8% 293% $375

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Porsgrunn

$201 7.5% 62.2% $77

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Porsgrunn

$386 14.4% 218% $265

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Porsgrunn

$40 * 1.5% 40% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Porsgrunn

$79 3% 103% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $824 in Porsgrunn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $105 in Porsgrunn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $514 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Porsgrunn

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,144

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Porsgrunn 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Porsgrunn

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 Porsgrunn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 121% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $4,010 in Porsgrunn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $824 in Porsgrunn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $236 in Porsgrunn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Porsgrunn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,673 in Porsgrunn, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Porsgrunn. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Porsgrunn, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Porsgrunn are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Porsgrunn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.