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: $2,299 in Porsgrunn versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,541 in Porsgrunn versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,783 in Porsgrunn versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Porsgrunn is roughly 84% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Porsgrunn is 72% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 NOK 275

$4.55 ฿153

527.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 NOK 975

$46.18 ฿1,550

119.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 NOK 127

$8.84 ฿297

49.10%

Cappuccino

$4.95 NOK 47.66

$3.06 ฿103

61.76%

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

$2.00 NOK 19.25

$0.73 ฿24.36

173.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NOK 19.83

$0.40 ฿13.37

415.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.98 NOK 86.5

$2.43 ฿81.6

269.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.67 NOK 93.2

$3.78 ฿127

155.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 NOK 19.70

$2.26 ฿75.8

-9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 NOK 32.94

$1.81 ฿60.8

88.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 32.00

$2.25 ฿75.7

47.56%

Eggs

$2.47 NOK 23.78

$2.25 ฿75.4

9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 NOK 99.1

$19.51 ฿655

-47.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 NOK 97.0

$3.65 ฿122

175.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.84 NOK 336

$13.05 ฿438

166.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 NOK 19.27

$3.23 ฿109

-38.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 NOK 16.07

$1.62 ฿54.3

3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 NOK 23.96

$2.38 ฿80.0

4.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 NOK 26.98

$2.03 ฿68.0

37.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 NOK 9.90

$1.53 ฿51.5

-32.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 NOK 20.49

$1.50 ฿50.4

42.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 NOK 22.68

$0.98 ฿32.85

139.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 NOK 18.28

$0.52 ฿17.36

265.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.21 NOK 137

$4.44 ฿149

220.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.13 NOK 175

$18.32 ฿615

-1.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 NOK 28.76

$1.86 ฿62.6

60.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 NOK 38.55

$2.68 ฿90.0

49.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 NOK 32.43

$1.41 ฿47.37

139.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.9 NOK 702

$11.70 ฿393

523.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.05 NOK 96.9

$3.11 ฿104

223.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 NOK 14.03

$1.04 ฿35.00

40.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$99.3 NOK 957

$14.11 ฿474

603.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 NOK 19.14

$1.31 ฿44.02

51.91%

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

$35.6K NOK 343.1K

$27.8K ฿933.8K

28.06%

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

$38.6K NOK 371.5K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

16.12%

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

$220 NOK 2,114

$122 ฿4,110

79.28%

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

$44.23 NOK 426

$13.59 ฿456

225.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.49 NOK 361

$18.70 ฿628

100.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.48 NOK 467

$60.5 ฿2,031

-19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.12 NOK 338

$16.98 ฿570

106.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 NOK 142

$9.07 ฿305

62.18%

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

$312 NOK 3,006

$706 ฿23.7K

-55.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K NOK 96.9K

$15.8K ฿530.5K

-36.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 NOK 496

$58.6 ฿1,965

-12.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.93 NOK 288

$35.36 ฿1,187

-15.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 NOK 670

$115 ฿3,876

-39.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NOK 992

$83.7 ฿2,811

23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 NOK 11.8K

$626 ฿21.0K

96.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 NOK 8,519

$445 ฿14.9K

98.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,856 NOK 17.9K

$2,040 ฿68.5K

-9.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 NOK 14.6K

$1,492 ฿50.1K

1.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,228 in Porsgrunn and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $101 in Porsgrunn vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $289 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 Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,448 in Porsgrunn and $1,875 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: $1,228 in Porsgrunn versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $312 in Porsgrunn versus $706 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 $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,299 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 84% less than in Porsgrunn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.