Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ystad

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,646 in Ystad, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Ystad
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Ystad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ystad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ystad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,646 in Ystad.

Phuket $1,278
Ystad $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,592 in Ystad.

Phuket $2,216
Ystad $2,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,538 in Ystad.

Phuket $3,154
Ystad $3,538

Living in Phuket costs roughly 22% less than in Ystad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Ystad is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.15 SEK 119

-63.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$86.1 SEK 845

-62.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.23 SEK 100

-13.88%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.06 SEK 30.05

-7.52%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.98 SEK 29.25

-70.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.27 SEK 22.25

-78.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.99 SEK 68.6

-63.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.39 SEK 72.5

-50.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.71 SEK 16.74

-2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.80 SEK 27.47

-47.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.15 SEK 30.87

-52.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.10 SEK 30.39

-32.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.51 SEK 113

65.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.84 SEK 86.8

-62.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.46 SEK 162

-33.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.99 SEK 29.35

-2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.44 SEK 23.98

-30.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.93 SEK 28.79

-23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.52 SEK 44.31

-53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.54 SEK 15.14

-1.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.70 SEK 16.64

-18.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.96 SEK 19.19

-45.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.66 SEK 16.27

-68.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.19 SEK 80.4

-48.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.05 SEK 118

55.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.05 SEK 20.11

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.28 SEK 22.42

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$3.36 SEK 32.95

-56.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$79.1 SEK 776

-28.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.05 SEK 59.4

-50.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.74 SEK 17.07

-41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$59.2 SEK 581

-93.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.77 SEK 17.37

-16.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$29.9K SEK 293.5K

-10.48%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$33.3K SEK 326.8K

-19.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$105 SEK 1,029

-8.14%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.69 SEK 193

-42.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$30.14 SEK 296

-44.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$37.44 SEK 367

79.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$26.36 SEK 259

-59.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.15 SEK 119

-38.27%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$180 SEK 1,764

164.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$4,351 SEK 42.7K

158.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$51.3 SEK 503

21.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$33.38 SEK 328

-14.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$87.4 SEK 858

7.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$133 SEK 1,310

-35.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$792 SEK 7,773

-9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$612 SEK 6,010

-19.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,354 SEK 13.3K

42.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,023 SEK 10.0K

39.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,023 SEK 39.5K

3.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,767 SEK 27.1K

10.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,881 SEK 18.5K

-73.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.06

82.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ystad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ystad

$612 37.2% 24.8% $122

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ystad

$337 20.5% 26.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ystad

$155 9.4% 24.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ystad

$137 8.4% 12.8% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ystad

$235 14.3% 93.4% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ystad

$62 3.8% 24.9% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ystad

$107 6.5% 51.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $792 in Ystad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ystad pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $86 in Ystad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $337 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇪 Ystad

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

18,350

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ystad 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ystad

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 Ystad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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 $792 in Ystad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $180 in Ystad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Ystad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,646 in Ystad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ystad. 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 Ystad 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 22% less than in Ystad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.