Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skien and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,336 in Skien versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Skien $2,336
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,267 in Skien versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Skien $3,267
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Skien versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Skien $4,197
Phuket $2,867

Living in Skien is roughly 94% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Skien is 73% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 NOK 200

$4.58 ฿153

363.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 971

$32.48 ฿1,086

217.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.47 NOK 146

$8.55 ฿286

80.94%

Cappuccino

$5.11 NOK 48.11

$2.72 ฿91.0

87.87%

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

$4.36 NOK 41.01

$0.94 ฿31.25

363.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 NOK 27.96

$0.49 ฿16.39

506.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.89 NOK 112

$2.59 ฿86.6

359.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.33 NOK 116

$3.83 ฿128

221.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 NOK 19.84

$1.74 ฿58.1

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 NOK 36.90

$1.43 ฿47.82

174.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 NOK 42.98

$1.53 ฿51.0

198.69%

Eggs

$5.66 NOK 53.3

$2.17 ฿72.7

160.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 NOK 124

$19.15 ฿640

-31.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.17 NOK 143

$3.30 ฿110

359.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 NOK 205

$11.14 ฿372

95.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.49

$2.95 ฿98.5

13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.42

$1.68 ฿56.1

60.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.86

$2.30 ฿76.8

51.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NOK 56.0

$2.13 ฿71.3

179.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 NOK 21.04

$1.53 ฿51.1

46.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.12

$1.36 ฿45.55

104.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 NOK 28.63

$1.12 ฿37.44

171.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.33

$0.55 ฿18.24

350.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.02 NOK 179

$4.26 ฿142

346.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 NOK 148

$18.19 ฿608

-13.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.58

$1.74 ฿58.2

92.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 40.76

$2.79 ฿93.3

55.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 NOK 30.64

$2.22 ฿74.1

46.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.91 NOK 451

$22.06 ฿737

117.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 NOK 105

$2.91 ฿97.3

282.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NOK 17.02

$1.01 ฿33.79

79.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 667

$3.83 ฿128

1748.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.39

$1.49 ฿49.85

52.35%

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

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

78.09%

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

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

62.32%

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

$93.9 NOK 884

$99.4 ฿3,321

-5.54%

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

$33.89 NOK 319

$11.28 ฿377

200.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 NOK 504

$17.36 ฿580

208.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.10 NOK 406

$52.3 ฿1,747

-17.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 NOK 144

$7.57 ฿253

101.98%

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

$239 NOK 2,247

$558 ฿18.7K

-57.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

36.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NOK 600

$62.9 ฿2,102

1.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 NOK 568

$28.58 ฿955

111.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 NOK 827

$96.1 ฿3,213

-8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,442

$88.1 ฿2,943

73.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NOK 9,811

$729 ฿24.4K

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NOK 9,183

$460 ฿15.4K

112.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 NOK 9,746

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-50.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 NOK 8,841

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-23.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-1.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

26.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

$493 ฿16.5K

759.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

5.57

-21.54%

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

Last update for Skien: 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

Skien

$975 41.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 52.8% $516

Groceries & Markets

Skien

$470 20.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 43% $202

Eating Out

Skien

$391 16.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 69% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skien

$181 7.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 29.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Skien

$164 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 24.5% $40

Getting Around

Skien

$81 3.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 52% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Skien

$74 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 8.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Skien and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skien pays 759% 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: $103 in Skien vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Skien

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

5 h ahead of Skien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,769

79,308

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skien Phuket 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Skien
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

Skien vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 759% higher in Skien, 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: $1,042 in Skien versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $239 in Skien 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 76% higher in Skien. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,336 in Skien, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Skien. 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 Skien, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Skien 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 94% less than in Skien. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.