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: $2,742 in Porsgrunn versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,904 in Porsgrunn versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,066 in Porsgrunn versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Porsgrunn is roughly 119% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Porsgrunn is 100% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.25 NOK 197

$4.56 ฿150

366.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 NOK 1,000

$32.62 ฿1,073

230.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.19 NOK 150

$8.90 ฿293

81.91%

Cappuccino

$5.86 NOK 54.4

$2.80 ฿92.2

109.29%

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

$3.62 NOK 33.65

$0.88 ฿28.94

311.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 NOK 28.92

$0.49 ฿16.08

536.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.67 NOK 108

$2.39 ฿78.5

388.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.69 NOK 99.3

$3.71 ฿122

188.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 NOK 23.88

$1.79 ฿58.8

43.58%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 NOK 40.10

$1.44 ฿47.40

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 NOK 42.72

$1.58 ฿52.1

191.14%

Eggs

$5.92 NOK 55.0

$2.13 ฿69.9

177.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.91 NOK 138

$19.92 ฿655

-25.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.40 NOK 143

$3.43 ฿113

348.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.64 NOK 275

$11.33 ฿372

161.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 NOK 31.89

$2.95 ฿97.0

16.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.81

$1.72 ฿56.6

55.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 NOK 33.18

$2.32 ฿76.5

53.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.83 NOK 54.1

$2.08 ฿68.4

180.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.37

$1.47 ฿48.34

85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 NOK 27.07

$1.36 ฿44.65

114.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 NOK 28.99

$1.10 ฿36.13

183.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 NOK 23.50

$0.57 ฿18.89

343.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.32 NOK 179

$4.27 ฿140

352.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.94 NOK 157

$18.42 ฿606

-8.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.39

$1.87 ฿61.5

86.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 NOK 39.37

$2.92 ฿96.1

45.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 NOK 25.45

$2.22 ฿73.0

23.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 NOK 466

$22.90 ฿753

119.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.44 NOK 115

$3.03 ฿99.6

310.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NOK 17.59

$1.07 ฿35.32

76.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.6 NOK 656

$3.93 ฿129

1697.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 NOK 21.16

$1.49 ฿49.06

53.02%

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

$49.9K NOK 463.2K

$27.1K ฿892.0K

83.90%

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

$46.3K NOK 429.8K

$27.5K ฿902.6K

68.64%

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

$421 NOK 3,912

$103 ฿3,380

309.82%

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

$33.19 NOK 308

$10.99 ฿361

202.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 NOK 534

$17.51 ฿576

228.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 ฿1,760

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$19.48 NOK 181

$7.48 ฿246

160.43%

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

$250 NOK 2,318

$557 ฿18.3K

-55.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K NOK 148.6K

$11.9K ฿389.7K

35.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 938

$64.1 ฿2,107

57.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 NOK 578

$29.07 ฿956

114.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 NOK 1,244

$96.0 ฿3,155

39.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 NOK 1,499

$90.3 ฿2,970

78.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 NOK 7,754

$730 ฿24.0K

14.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 NOK 8,818

$500 ฿16.4K

90.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 NOK 14.9K

$2,090 ฿68.7K

-23.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,273 NOK 11.8K

$1,209 ฿39.8K

5.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 ฿118.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 ฿82.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

5.57

-31.78%

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

Last update for Porsgrunn: August 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $835 in Porsgrunn and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $108 in Porsgrunn vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $515 vs $273 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, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 119% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,113 in Porsgrunn and $1,880 in Phuket 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: $835 in Porsgrunn versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $250 in Porsgrunn versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Porsgrunn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,742 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 119% less than in Porsgrunn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.