Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,761 in Skovde, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
Learn more

Skovde Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Skovde

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,761 in Skovde.

Phuket $1,278
Skovde $1,761

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,768 in Skovde.

Phuket $2,216
Skovde $2,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,776 in Skovde.

Phuket $3,154
Skovde $3,776

Living in Phuket costs roughly 27% less than in Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Skovde is 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.25 SEK 130

-66.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$81.4 SEK 799

-60.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.21 SEK 100

-13.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.19 SEK 41.10

-32.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$3.02 SEK 29.63

-71.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$2.39 SEK 23.49

-79.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$8.08 SEK 79.4

-68.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.93 SEK 97.5

-62.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.43 SEK 14.02

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.85 SEK 27.99

-48.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.56 SEK 44.73

-67.11%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.68 SEK 36.10

-43.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.99 SEK 98.1

90.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.20 SEK 130

-75.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.04 SEK 177

-39.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.15 SEK 40.73

-29.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.76 SEK 27.12

-38.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.50 SEK 34.41

-35.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.17 SEK 50.8

-59.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.54 SEK 15.11

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.69 SEK 16.56

-18.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.57 SEK 25.25

-58.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.32 SEK 12.99

-60.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.10 SEK 79.6

-48.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.81 SEK 76.7

140.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.51 SEK 24.67

-27.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.56 SEK 25.17

10.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.71 SEK 36.39

-60.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$83.8 SEK 823

-32.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.27 SEK 51.7

-42.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.29 SEK 12.71

-20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$60.6 SEK 595

-93.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.79 SEK 17.55

-17.88%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$33.7K SEK 330.8K

-20.52%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$33.7K SEK 331.2K

-20.86%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$111 SEK 1,092

-13.35%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.90 SEK 107

3.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$48.39 SEK 475

-65.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$36.63 SEK 360

83.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$29.70 SEK 292

-63.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.99 SEK 177

-58.31%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$126 SEK 1,234

278.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$4,824 SEK 47.4K

133.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$104 SEK 1,019

-39.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.95 SEK 294

-5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$59.9 SEK 588

57.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$200 SEK 1,960

-57.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$803 SEK 7,880

-10.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$592 SEK 5,813

-17.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,359 SEK 13.3K

41.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,003 SEK 9,853

42.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,027 SEK 39.5K

3.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,847 SEK 28.0K

6.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,253 SEK 31.9K

-84.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Skovde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Skovde

$592 33.6% 20.6% $101

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Skovde

$370 21% 39.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Skovde

$170 9.7% 37% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Skovde

$177 10% 45.1% $55

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Skovde

$269 15.3% 121% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Skovde

$73 4.1% 11.7% $9.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Skovde

$110 6.3% 56.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $803 in Skovde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skovde pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $81 in Skovde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $370 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Skovde

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

02:43 2:43 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,466

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Skovde 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 27% 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 85% 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 $803 in Skovde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $126 in Skovde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Skovde. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,761 in Skovde, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Skovde. 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 Skovde 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 27% less than in Skovde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.