Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Torshavn

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,524 in Torshavn, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Torshavn
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Torshavn Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Torshavn

🇫🇴 Faroe Islands

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Torshavn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,524 in Torshavn.

Phuket $1,190
Torshavn $2,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $3,982 in Torshavn.

Phuket $2,006
Torshavn $3,982

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $5,441 in Torshavn.

Phuket $2,822
Torshavn $5,441

Living in Phuket costs roughly 53% less than in Torshavn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Torshavn is 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$26.65 FOK 178

-83.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$152 FOK 1,012

-78.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$19.79 FOK 132

-57.45%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$6.96 FOK 46.49

-59.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$3.16 FOK 21.11

-72.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$2.69 FOK 17.99

-82.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$9.37 FOK 62.6

-72.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$9.12 FOK 61.0

-60.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$2.33 FOK 15.54

-26.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$4.87 FOK 32.53

-70.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.99 FOK 19.95

-47.83%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$6.55 FOK 43.77

-67.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$16.45 FOK 110

18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$14.33 FOK 95.7

-76.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$17.73 FOK 118

-37.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$4.09 FOK 27.31

-30.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$5.66 FOK 37.84

-71.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$5.93 FOK 39.62

-62.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$5.21 FOK 34.80

-58.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$3.66 FOK 24.47

-59.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$4.63 FOK 30.95

-71.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$3.21 FOK 21.44

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$3.84 FOK 25.65

-86.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$11.14 FOK 74.4

-60.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$13.77 FOK 92.0

36.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$4.13 FOK 27.60

-57.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.93 FOK 19.57

-5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$30.56 FOK 204

-27.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$15.18 FOK 101

-80.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.70 FOK 11.36

-15.88%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$130 FOK 865

-25.39%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$44.35 FOK 296

-74.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$90.9 FOK 607

-81.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$55.3 FOK 370

-4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$16.05 FOK 107

-52.34%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$489 FOK 3,270

13.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$141 FOK 944

-55.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$59.4 FOK 397

-51.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$166 FOK 1,108

-41.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$248 FOK 1,655

-64.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$1,096 FOK 7,324

-32.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$890 FOK 5,947

-48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$1,842 FOK 12.3K

14.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$1,411 FOK 9,425

-15.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$4,520 FOK 30.2K

-22.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$4,718 FOK 31.5K

-47.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$3,205 FOK 21.4K

-84.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Torshavn: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Torshavn

$890 35.2% 94.4% $432

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Torshavn

$522 20.6% 94.7% $254

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Torshavn

$265 10.5% 112% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Torshavn

$276 10.9% 122% $152

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Torshavn

$445 17.6% 273% $325

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Torshavn

$87 3.5% 28.4% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Torshavn

$46 * 1.8% 16.5% $6.5

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 $735 in Phuket and $1,096 in Torshavn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Torshavn pays 540% 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 $152 in Torshavn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $522 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇴 Torshavn

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

14,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Faroese Króna FOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 FOK = 0.15 USD

1 FOK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FOK, 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).

Faroese Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 FOK (1 FOK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 FOK (1 FOK = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Torshavn 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Torshavn

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 Torshavn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 112% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 540% lower in Torshavn. 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 $1,096 in Torshavn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $489 in Torshavn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Torshavn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,524 in Torshavn, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Torshavn. 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 Torshavn, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Torshavn 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 112% less than in Torshavn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.