Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $33,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Reykjavik and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,002 in Reykjavik versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Reykjavik $4,002
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,705 in Reykjavik versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Reykjavik $5,705
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,407 in Reykjavik versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Reykjavik $7,407
Phuket $2,867

Living in Reykjavik is roughly 231% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Reykjavik is 196% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$4.58 ฿153

589.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$32.48 ฿1,086

276.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$8.55 ฿286

214.15%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$2.72 ฿91.0

150.37%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$0.94 ฿31.25

260.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$0.49 ฿16.39

553.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$2.59 ฿86.6

445.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$3.83 ฿128

221.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.74 ฿58.1

20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$1.43 ฿47.82

193.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.53 ฿51.0

143.14%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.17 ฿72.7

224.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$19.15 ฿640

12.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$3.30 ฿110

647.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$11.14 ฿372

278.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.95 ฿98.5

9.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.68 ฿56.1

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$2.30 ฿76.8

37.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$2.13 ฿71.3

210.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$1.53 ฿51.1

151.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$1.36 ฿45.55

22.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$1.12 ฿37.44

239.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$0.55 ฿18.24

218.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$4.26 ฿142

221.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$18.19 ฿608

33.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.74 ฿58.2

102.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.79 ฿93.3

19.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$2.22 ฿74.1

159.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$22.06 ฿737

325.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$2.91 ฿97.3

127.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$1.01 ฿33.79

187.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$3.83 ฿128

1966.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.49 ฿49.85

40.27%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

91.21%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

99.44%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$99.4 ฿3,321

-4.14%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$11.28 ฿377

186.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$17.36 ฿580

404.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$52.3 ฿1,747

94.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$10.85 ฿362

361.57%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$7.57 ฿253

162.62%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$558 ฿18.7K

113.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

121.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$62.9 ฿2,102

137.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$28.58 ฿955

133.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$96.1 ฿3,213

87.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$88.1 ฿2,943

187.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$729 ฿24.4K

249.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$460 ฿15.4K

346.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

66.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

126.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

134.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

151.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$493 ฿16.5K

827.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

5.57

58.17%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 77.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 57% $355

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 77.4% $415

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 57.5% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 40.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 52.4% $74

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 71.8% $99

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,549 in Reykjavik and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reykjavik pays 827% 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: $122 in Reykjavik vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $623 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

02:42 2:42 AM

7 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Phuket 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
Phuket

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

Reykjavik vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 231% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 827% higher in Reykjavik, 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: $2,549 in Reykjavik versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,194 in Reykjavik versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 133% higher in Reykjavik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $4,002 in Reykjavik, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Reykjavik. 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 Reykjavik, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Reykjavik 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 231% less than in Reykjavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.