Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sandnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,732 in Sandnes, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sandnes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,732 in Sandnes.

Phuket $1,278
Sandnes $2,732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,220 in Sandnes.

Phuket $2,216
Sandnes $4,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,708 in Sandnes.

Phuket $3,154
Sandnes $5,708

Living in Phuket costs roughly 53% less than in Sandnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Sandnes is 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$24.34 NOK 224

-81.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$97.8 NOK 898

-66.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.44 NOK 142

-42.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.60 NOK 51.5

-49.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.46 NOK 31.78

-74.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.99 NOK 27.51

-83.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$13.86 NOK 127

-81.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$10.60 NOK 97.4

-65.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.50 NOK 22.95

-33.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.42 NOK 31.39

-57.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.56 NOK 23.49

-41.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.85 NOK 44.53

-56.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.56 NOK 125

40.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$16.05 NOK 147

-79.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$33.19 NOK 305

-67.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.54 NOK 32.51

-17.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.89 NOK 26.57

-41.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.15 NOK 28.93

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.99 NOK 45.85

-58.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.64 NOK 24.24

-42.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.38 NOK 21.86

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.89 NOK 26.53

-62.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.43 NOK 22.29

-78.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$16.80 NOK 154

-75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.87 NOK 155

11.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.29 NOK 30.24

-44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$4.43 NOK 40.67

-35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$4.88 NOK 44.85

-70.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$85.5 NOK 786

-33.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.43 NOK 59.1

-53.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.80 NOK 16.49

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$50.1 NOK 460

-92.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.32 NOK 21.29

-36.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$45.2K NOK 415.5K

-40.80%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$38.8K NOK 356.3K

-31.18%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$266 NOK 2,447

-63.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$34.32 NOK 315

-67.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$80.8 NOK 743

-79.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$46.63 NOK 428

44.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$54.4 NOK 500

-80.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$19.49 NOK 179

-61.52%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$297 NOK 2,726

60.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,467 NOK 87.0K

18.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$128 NOK 1,172

-51.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$60.4 NOK 555

-52.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$122 NOK 1,121

-22.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$194 NOK 1,783

-55.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,375 NOK 12.6K

-47.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$999 NOK 9,177

-50.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,076 NOK 19.1K

-7.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,834 NOK 16.8K

-21.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$6,988 NOK 64.2K

-40.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,176 NOK 38.4K

-27.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,789 NOK 34.8K

-86.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.22

6.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sandnes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sandnes

$999 36.6% 104% $508

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sandnes

$494 18.1% 85.6% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sandnes

$382 14% 207% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sandnes

$227 8.3% 86.1% $105

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sandnes

$425 15.5% 249% $303

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sandnes

$86 3.1% 4.1% $3.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sandnes

$120 4.4% 70.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,375 in Sandnes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandnes pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $98 in Sandnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $494 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

83,958

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sandnes 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sandnes

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 Sandnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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 $1,375 in Sandnes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $297 in Sandnes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Sandnes. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,732 in Sandnes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sandnes. 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 Sandnes 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 53% less than in Sandnes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.