Cost of Living Comparison Between Porsgrunn and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Porsgrunn and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,274 in Porsgrunn versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,550 in Porsgrunn versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,827 in Porsgrunn versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Porsgrunn is roughly 80% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Porsgrunn is 70% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.72 NOK 267

$4.70 ฿154

511.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 NOK 946

$45.37 ฿1,483

124.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.57 NOK 126

$8.43 ฿276

60.97%

Cappuccino

$4.83 NOK 44.98

$2.93 ฿95.7

64.85%

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

$2.05 NOK 19.10

$0.69 ฿22.42

197.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NOK 19.14

$0.37 ฿12.00

456.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.86 NOK 82.5

$2.41 ฿78.7

267.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.68 NOK 90.1

$3.72 ฿122

160.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 NOK 19.21

$2.23 ฿73.0

-7.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 NOK 31.93

$1.83 ฿59.9

87.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 NOK 29.82

$2.17 ฿70.9

47.47%

Eggs

$2.48 NOK 23.07

$2.21 ฿72.4

12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 NOK 95.8

$19.74 ฿645

-47.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 NOK 94.9

$3.63 ฿119

180.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$35.45 NOK 330

$13.53 ฿442

162.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 NOK 18.71

$3.28 ฿107

-38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 NOK 15.39

$1.61 ฿52.7

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 22.85

$2.41 ฿78.7

1.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.63

$2.08 ฿68.1

37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 NOK 9.62

$1.53 ฿49.97

-32.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 NOK 20.65

$1.48 ฿48.41

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 NOK 21.47

$0.99 ฿32.32

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 17.01

$0.51 ฿16.68

258.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.31 NOK 133

$4.41 ฿144

224.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 NOK 177

$19.38 ฿634

-1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 NOK 27.52

$1.78 ฿58.1

66.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 NOK 36.82

$2.71 ฿88.7

46.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 NOK 31.54

$1.37 ฿44.83

147.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 NOK 676

$11.39 ฿372

537.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.04 NOK 93.5

$3.02 ฿98.7

232.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 NOK 13.54

$0.99 ฿32.51

46.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$101 NOK 943

$14.10 ฿461

618.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 NOK 18.60

$1.36 ฿44.55

47.06%

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

$35.8K NOK 333.0K

$28.2K ฿921.9K

26.86%

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

$38.0K NOK 353.4K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

15.39%

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

$223 NOK 2,072

$122 ฿3,978

82.89%

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

$43.15 NOK 402

$13.57 ฿444

217.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.10 NOK 355

$18.31 ฿599

108.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 NOK 463

$60.2 ฿1,969

-17.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 NOK 331

$17.14 ฿560

107.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 NOK 138

$8.69 ฿284

70.31%

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

$312 NOK 2,904

$693 ฿22.7K

-55.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K NOK 95.5K

$15.7K ฿512.8K

-34.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 NOK 468

$59.5 ฿1,946

-15.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.87 NOK 278

$34.77 ฿1,137

-14.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 NOK 649

$115 ฿3,746

-39.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NOK 951

$83.3 ฿2,723

22.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 NOK 11.3K

$613 ฿20.0K

98.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 NOK 8,467

$437 ฿14.3K

108.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 NOK 17.1K

$2,094 ฿68.5K

-12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 NOK 14.4K

$1,509 ฿49.3K

2.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,571 NOK 33.2K

$508 ฿16.6K

602.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.33

-28.71%

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

Last update for Porsgrunn: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,219 in Porsgrunn and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porsgrunn pays 603% 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: $102 in Porsgrunn vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $293 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Porsgrunn vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Sport & Entertainment. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Porsgrunn pays 603% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,219 in Porsgrunn versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $312 in Porsgrunn versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Porsgrunn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,274 in Porsgrunn, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Porsgrunn. 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 Porsgrunn, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Porsgrunn and Phuket 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 80% less than in Porsgrunn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.