Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sarpsborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,872 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sarpsborg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg.

Phuket $1,294
Sarpsborg $2,872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,169 in Sarpsborg.

Phuket $2,204
Sarpsborg $4,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,466 in Sarpsborg.

Phuket $3,115
Sarpsborg $5,466

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Sarpsborg is 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$40.81 NOK 379

-89.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$99.3 NOK 921

-67.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$19.17 NOK 178

-54.62%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$5.74 NOK 53.3

-52.61%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.88 NOK 26.75

-67.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$2.67 NOK 24.77

-81.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$6.60 NOK 61.2

-61.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$8.19 NOK 76.0

-55.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.32 NOK 21.49

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.49 NOK 32.42

-58.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$4.01 NOK 37.22

-62.59%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$4.56 NOK 42.30

-52.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$12.54 NOK 116

52.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$17.04 NOK 158

-80.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$34.26 NOK 318

-68.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$3.85 NOK 35.74

-23.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.67 NOK 24.81

-36.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$3.49 NOK 32.43

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$6.04 NOK 56.1

-64.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.84 NOK 26.39

-48.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$3.18 NOK 29.50

-56.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.65 NOK 24.61

-59.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$2.59 NOK 24.00

-78.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$15.56 NOK 144

-71.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$13.73 NOK 127

32.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$3.34 NOK 30.97

-47.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$4.71 NOK 43.69

-38.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.62 NOK 24.36

-44.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$87.2 NOK 809

-37.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$12.01 NOK 111

-87.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.97 NOK 18.26

-60.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$63.8 NOK 592

-93.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$2.27 NOK 21.08

-34.36%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$55.3K NOK 513.5K

-51.42%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$47.2K NOK 437.7K

-44.14%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$238 NOK 2,207

-58.87%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$36.62 NOK 340

-69.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$47.03 NOK 436

-63.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$50.1 NOK 465

36.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$38.46 NOK 357

-71.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$19.49 NOK 181

-61.88%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$239 NOK 2,217

122.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$11.6K NOK 107.7K

61.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$111 NOK 1,034

-44.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$66.9 NOK 621

-57.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$125 NOK 1,158

-23.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$180 NOK 1,670

-51.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,224 NOK 11.4K

-41.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,093 NOK 10.1K

-53.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$1,606 NOK 14.9K

21.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,399 NOK 13.0K

-0.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$6,415 NOK 59.5K

-34.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$4,241 NOK 39.4K

-22.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$2,714 NOK 25.2K

-81.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.18

7.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sarpsborg

$1.1K 38.1% 115% $584

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sarpsborg

$508 17.7% 90.2% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sarpsborg

$321 11.2% 155% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sarpsborg

$217 7.6% 77.1% $95

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sarpsborg

$524 18.3% 339% $405

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sarpsborg

$89 3.1% 7% $5.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sarpsborg

$120 4.2% 81% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarpsborg pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $99 in Sarpsborg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $508 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

20:23 8:23 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

59,906

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.28 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.42 NOK (100 NOK = 9.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sarpsborg 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sarpsborg

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 Sarpsborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 55% 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 82% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,224 in Sarpsborg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $239 in Sarpsborg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Sarpsborg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sarpsborg. 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 Sarpsborg 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 55% less than in Sarpsborg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.