Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Stavanger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $3,140 in Stavanger.

Phuket $1,190
Stavanger $3,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $4,513 in Stavanger.

Phuket $2,006
Stavanger $4,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $5,886 in Stavanger.

Phuket $2,822
Stavanger $5,886

Living in Phuket costs roughly 62% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Stavanger is 134% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$24.58 NOK 235

-82.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$97.3 NOK 929

-66.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$15.95 NOK 152

-47.21%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$6.25 NOK 59.7

-55.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$5.41 NOK 51.7

-83.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$4.25 NOK 40.57

-89.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$13.66 NOK 130

-81.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$11.78 NOK 112

-69.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$2.37 NOK 22.61

-27.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.47 NOK 33.14

-58.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$3.83 NOK 36.59

-59.27%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$4.70 NOK 44.87

-55.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$14.36 NOK 137

36.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$16.81 NOK 161

-79.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$34.43 NOK 329

-67.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$3.42 NOK 32.68

-17.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.72 NOK 26.00

-40.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$3.54 NOK 33.78

-37.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$4.91 NOK 46.90

-56.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$2.55 NOK 24.35

-41.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$3.12 NOK 29.79

-57.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$2.81 NOK 26.81

-61.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$2.34 NOK 22.33

-78.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$17.13 NOK 164

-74.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$18.45 NOK 176

1.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$3.72 NOK 35.54

-53.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$4.45 NOK 42.52

-37.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$4.76 NOK 45.49

-54.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$87.0 NOK 831

-74.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$6.09 NOK 58.2

-50.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$1.75 NOK 16.69

-39.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$103 NOK 981

-96.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$2.36 NOK 22.50

-39.41%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

-44.29%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

-35.17%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$245 NOK 2,337

-60.50%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$35.29 NOK 337

-67.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$81.6 NOK 779

-79.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$50.3 NOK 480

4.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$36.81 NOK 352

-69.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$22.03 NOK 210

-65.27%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$322 NOK 3,080

72.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

-19.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$127 NOK 1,212

-50.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$60.1 NOK 574

-52.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$153 NOK 1,459

-36.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$204 NOK 1,948

-56.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

-55.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

-66.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

-24.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

-41.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

-43.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

-53.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

-89.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.27

5.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6% 201% $922

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Stavanger

$513 16.2% 91.3% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Stavanger

$362 11.4% 189% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Stavanger

$245 7.7% 96% $120

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Stavanger

$450 14.2% 277% $331

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Stavanger

$94 3% 38.6% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Stavanger

$121 3.8% 208% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $1,658 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 888% 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 $97.0 in Stavanger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $513 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

13:00 1:00 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

149,330

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.7 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Stavanger 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 164% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 888% lower in Stavanger. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $1,658 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $322 in Stavanger. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 91% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $3,140 in Stavanger, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. 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 Stavanger, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Stavanger 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 164% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.