Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taby

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,122 in Taby, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Taby
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Taby Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Taby

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,122 in Taby.

Phuket $1,208
Taby $2,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,043 in Taby.

Phuket $2,027
Taby $3,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,964 in Taby.

Phuket $2,845
Taby $3,964

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Taby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Taby is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$13.66 SEK 135

-67.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$65.8 SEK 652

-51.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.09 SEK 100.0

-13.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.28 SEK 42.41

-33.88%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$3.58 SEK 35.48

-74.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.34 SEK 23.19

-79.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.95 SEK 68.9

-63.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.79 SEK 87.1

-56.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.70 SEK 16.83

1.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.02 SEK 29.90

-51.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.91 SEK 38.75

-61.38%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.20 SEK 51.5

-58.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.81 SEK 127

53.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$12.82 SEK 127

-73.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$17.59 SEK 174

-36.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.13 SEK 31.05

-8.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.62 SEK 25.97

-35.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.97 SEK 19.52

11.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.50 SEK 44.60

-54.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.70 SEK 16.88

-14.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.33 SEK 23.13

-54.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.90 SEK 18.87

-73.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$7.00 SEK 69.4

-39.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.21 SEK 121

52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.90 SEK 18.84

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.21 SEK 21.90

28.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$4.17 SEK 41.32

-45.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$101 SEK 1,002

-78.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.87 SEK 58.1

-48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.55 SEK 15.38

-31.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$57.4 SEK 569

-93.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.84 SEK 18.22

-21.20%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$33.3K SEK 330.3K

-21.02%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$32.7K SEK 324.2K

-17.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$177 SEK 1,758

-45.69%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$27.61 SEK 274

-60.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$40.66 SEK 403

-57.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$17.11 SEK 170

-54.35%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$156 SEK 1,543

256.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$16.3K SEK 161.4K

-28.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$98.0 SEK 971

-34.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$53.0 SEK 526

-45.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$94.4 SEK 935

1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$183 SEK 1,813

-51.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,023 SEK 10.1K

-27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$870 SEK 8,625

-46.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,411 SEK 14.0K

48.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,189 SEK 11.8K

0.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$5,994 SEK 59.4K

-41.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$6,951 SEK 68.9K

-63.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,306 SEK 32.8K

-84.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.8

98.93%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Taby: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Taby

$870 41% 88.3% $408

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Taby

$380 17.9% 41.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Taby

$246 11.6% 97.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Taby

$193 9.1% 55.1% $68

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Taby

$267 12.6% 120% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Taby

$34 * 1.6% 49.5% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Taby

$131 6.2% 233% $92

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,023 in Taby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taby pays 560% 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 $66.0 in Taby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $380 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Taby

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

00:59 12:59 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

58,123

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Taby 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Taby

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 Taby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 560% lower in Taby. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,023 in Taby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $156 in Taby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Taby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,122 in Taby, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Taby. 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 Taby, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Taby 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 76% less than in Taby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.