Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Skelleftea

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,961 in Skelleftea, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Skelleftea
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Skelleftea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Skelleftea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Skelleftea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,961 in Skelleftea.

Phuket $1,207
Skelleftea $1,961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,962 in Skelleftea.

Phuket $2,037
Skelleftea $2,962

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,964 in Skelleftea.

Phuket $2,867
Skelleftea $3,964

Living in Phuket costs roughly 38% less than in Skelleftea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Skelleftea is 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$15.89 SEK 157

-71.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$78.2 SEK 775

-58.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$13.16 SEK 130

-35.03%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.65 SEK 46.09

-41.51%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.56 SEK 25.38

-63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.30 SEK 22.75

-78.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$7.88 SEK 78.1

-67.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.69 SEK 76.2

-50.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.59 SEK 15.76

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.47 SEK 24.43

-42.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$4.91 SEK 48.67

-68.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.14 SEK 51.0

-57.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.90 SEK 108

75.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.78 SEK 107

-69.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$24.10 SEK 239

-53.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.17 SEK 31.45

-6.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.40 SEK 23.80

-30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.07 SEK 30.42

-25.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.56 SEK 35.25

-40.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.24 SEK 22.17

-31.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.62 SEK 16.01

-16.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.28 SEK 22.58

-50.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.57 SEK 15.52

-64.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$7.34 SEK 72.8

-41.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$15.00 SEK 149

21.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.71 SEK 16.90

1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.59 SEK 15.72

75.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.78 SEK 27.53

-20.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$51.6 SEK 511

-57.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$7.83 SEK 77.6

-62.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.73 SEK 17.13

-41.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$58.9 SEK 583

-93.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.72 SEK 17.00

-13.37%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$32.9K SEK 326.1K

-18.95%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$32.2K SEK 319.5K

-17.16%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$103 SEK 1,017

-3.19%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$33.24 SEK 329

-66.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$51.7 SEK 513

-66.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$37.65 SEK 373

38.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$25.55 SEK 253

-57.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$14.79 SEK 147

-48.82%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$140 SEK 1,388

298.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$5,481 SEK 54.3K

109.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$94.8 SEK 940

-33.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$39.10 SEK 387

-26.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$78.9 SEK 781

21.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$153 SEK 1,515

-42.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,127 SEK 11.2K

-35.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$786 SEK 7,792

-41.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,588 SEK 15.7K

31.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,195 SEK 11.8K

2.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,005 SEK 39.7K

-13.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,822 SEK 28.0K

-11.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,556 SEK 25.3K

-80.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.9

42.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Skelleftea: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Skelleftea

$786 40.1% 71% $326

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Skelleftea

$380 19.4% 41.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Skelleftea

$188 9.6% 46.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Skelleftea

$165 8.4% 32.6% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Skelleftea

$297 15.1% 145% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Skelleftea

$67 3.4% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Skelleftea

$79 4% 104% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,127 in Skelleftea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skelleftea pays 418% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $78.0 in Skelleftea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $380 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Skelleftea

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,775

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Skelleftea 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Skelleftea

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 Skelleftea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 418% lower in Skelleftea. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $1,127 in Skelleftea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $140 in Skelleftea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Skelleftea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,961 in Skelleftea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Skelleftea. 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 Skelleftea, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Skelleftea 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 62% less than in Skelleftea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.