Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,872 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
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Sarpsborg Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,872

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarpsborg 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 Sarpsborg and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,872 in Sarpsborg versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Sarpsborg $2,872
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,169 in Sarpsborg versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Sarpsborg $4,169
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,466 in Sarpsborg versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Sarpsborg $5,466
Phuket $3,115

Living in Sarpsborg is roughly 122% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sarpsborg is 112% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.81 NOK 379

$4.39 ฿147

829.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 NOK 921

$32.31 ฿1,078

207.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.17 NOK 178

$8.70 ฿290

120.34%

Cappuccino

$5.74 NOK 53.3

$2.72 ฿90.9

111.03%

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

$2.88 NOK 26.75

$0.93 ฿31.06

209.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 NOK 24.77

$0.50 ฿16.67

434.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 NOK 61.2

$2.53 ฿84.5

160.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 NOK 76.0

$3.63 ฿121

125.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.49

$1.74 ฿58.1

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 NOK 32.42

$1.45 ฿48.42

140.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 37.22

$1.50 ฿50.1

167.33%

Eggs

$4.56 NOK 42.30

$2.17 ฿72.5

110.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 NOK 116

$19.09 ฿637

-34.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.04 NOK 158

$3.40 ฿113

401.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.26 NOK 318

$10.90 ฿364

214.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 NOK 35.74

$2.94 ฿98.2

30.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.81

$1.69 ฿56.5

57.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.43

$2.19 ฿73.2

59.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 NOK 56.1

$2.12 ฿70.9

184.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 26.39

$1.46 ฿48.68

94.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 NOK 29.50

$1.37 ฿45.66

132.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 NOK 24.61

$1.08 ฿35.91

145.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 NOK 24.00

$0.55 ฿18.21

370.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.56 NOK 144

$4.43 ฿148

251.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 NOK 127

$18.25 ฿609

-24.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 NOK 30.97

$1.77 ฿59.2

88.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 NOK 43.69

$2.88 ฿96.2

63.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 NOK 24.36

$1.45 ฿48.32

80.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.2 NOK 809

$54.9 ฿1,832

58.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.01 NOK 111

$1.51 ฿50.5

695.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NOK 18.26

$0.78 ฿25.90

152.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.8 NOK 592

$3.84 ฿128

1561.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.08

$1.49 ฿49.65

52.35%

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

$55.3K NOK 513.5K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

105.83%

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

$47.2K NOK 437.7K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

79.03%

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

$238 NOK 2,207

$97.8 ฿3,265

143.16%

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

$36.62 NOK 340

$11.29 ฿377

224.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.03 NOK 436

$17.19 ฿574

173.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 465

$68.3 ฿2,281

-26.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.46 NOK 357

$10.92 ฿365

252.20%

Cinema Ticket

$19.49 NOK 181

$7.43 ฿248

162.31%

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

$239 NOK 2,217

$530 ฿17.7K

-54.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K NOK 107.7K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-38.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 NOK 1,034

$61.7 ฿2,059

80.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 NOK 621

$28.25 ฿943

136.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,158

$96.0 ฿3,204

29.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$180 NOK 1,670

$86.8 ฿2,898

107.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 NOK 11.4K

$721 ฿24.1K

69.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 NOK 10.1K

$509 ฿17.0K

114.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 NOK 14.9K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-17.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 NOK 13.0K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

0.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 NOK 59.5K

$4,192 ฿139.9K

53.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,241 NOK 39.4K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

28.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,714 NOK 25.2K

$492 ฿16.4K

452.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

5.57

-7.00%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarpsborg

$1.1K 38.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 53.4% $584

Eating Out

Sarpsborg

$524 18.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 77.2% $405

Groceries & Markets

Sarpsborg

$508 17.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 47.4% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarpsborg

$321 11.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 60.7% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Sarpsborg

$217 7.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 43.5% $95

Getting Around

Sarpsborg

$120 4.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 44.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Sarpsborg

$89 3.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 6.6% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,224 in Sarpsborg and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarpsborg pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Sarpsborg vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $508 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

02:03 2:03 AM

6 h ahead of Sarpsborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,906

79,308

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.59 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.28 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.43 NOK (100 NOK = 9.59 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarpsborg Phuket 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarpsborg
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

Sarpsborg vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sarpsborg is about 5.5 times higher, 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: $1,224 in Sarpsborg versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $239 in Sarpsborg versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Sarpsborg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,872 in Sarpsborg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sarpsborg. 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, Sarpsborg and Phuket 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 55% less than in Sarpsborg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.