Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Steinkjer

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,773 in Steinkjer, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Steinkjer
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Steinkjer Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Steinkjer

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Steinkjer

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,773 in Steinkjer.

Phuket $1,207
Steinkjer $2,773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,905 in Steinkjer.

Phuket $2,037
Steinkjer $3,905

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $5,037 in Steinkjer.

Phuket $2,867
Steinkjer $5,037

Living in Phuket costs roughly 56% less than in Steinkjer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Steinkjer is 105% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$20.51 NOK 193

-77.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$58.2 NOK 548

-44.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$13.52 NOK 127

-36.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.62 NOK 43.52

-41.13%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$5.75 NOK 54.2

-83.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$4.25 NOK 39.99

-88.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$10.33 NOK 97.3

-74.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.20 NOK 58.3

-38.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.46 NOK 23.13

-29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.46 NOK 32.61

-58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.60 NOK 33.88

-57.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.95 NOK 46.62

-56.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.85 NOK 121

49.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$16.08 NOK 151

-79.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$28.53 NOK 269

-60.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.91 NOK 36.76

-24.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.93 NOK 27.59

-42.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.90 NOK 36.70

-41.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$5.71 NOK 53.8

-62.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.89 NOK 27.18

-47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.07 NOK 28.89

-55.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.78 NOK 26.17

-59.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$2.23 NOK 20.96

-75.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$17.67 NOK 166

-75.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$18.14 NOK 171

0.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.50 NOK 32.92

-50.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$4.65 NOK 43.77

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$4.21 NOK 39.65

-47.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$85.6 NOK 805

-74.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$9.24 NOK 87.0

-68.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.61 NOK 15.17

-37.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$58.4 NOK 550

-93.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.47 NOK 23.27

-39.68%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$45.4K NOK 427.7K

-41.28%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$45.4K NOK 427.8K

-41.22%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$266 NOK 2,505

-62.66%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$35.46 NOK 334

-68.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$81.8 NOK 770

-78.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$54.1 NOK 510

-3.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$41.52 NOK 391

-73.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$15.71 NOK 148

-51.81%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$293 NOK 2,763

90.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$4,447 NOK 41.9K

158.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$105 NOK 989

-40.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$51.2 NOK 482

-44.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$118 NOK 1,109

-18.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$154 NOK 1,453

-42.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,200 NOK 11.3K

-39.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,133 NOK 10.7K

-59.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$2,078 NOK 19.6K

0.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,580 NOK 14.9K

-22.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$6,718 NOK 63.2K

-48.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$3,607 NOK 34.0K

-30.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.32

4.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Steinkjer: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Steinkjer

$1.1K 40.9% 146% $673

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Steinkjer

$495 17.9% 85% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Steinkjer

$383 13.8% 200% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Steinkjer

$193 7% 55.4% $69

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Steinkjer

$364 13.1% 200% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Steinkjer

$86 3.1% 26.9% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Steinkjer

$120 4.3% 208% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,200 in Steinkjer. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $58.0 in Steinkjer for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $495 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇴 Steinkjer

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,066

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Steinkjer 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Steinkjer

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 Steinkjer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 130% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $4,160 in Steinkjer to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $1,200 in Steinkjer. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $293 in Steinkjer. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Steinkjer. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,773 in Steinkjer, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Steinkjer. 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 Steinkjer, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Steinkjer 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 130% less than in Steinkjer. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.