Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skovde and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,761 in Skovde, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
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Skovde Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,761 in Skovde versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Skovde $1,761
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,768 in Skovde versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Skovde $2,768
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,776 in Skovde versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Skovde $3,776
Phuket $3,154

Living in Skovde is roughly 38% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Skovde is 29% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.25 SEK 130

$4.47 ฿151

196.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 SEK 799

$32.41 ฿1,094

151.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 SEK 100

$8.81 ฿297

15.89%

Cappuccino

$4.19 SEK 41.10

$2.83 ฿95.4

48.06%

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

$3.02 SEK 29.63

$0.87 ฿29.42

247.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 SEK 23.49

$0.49 ฿16.66

387.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.4

$2.56 ฿86.3

215.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 SEK 97.5

$3.68 ฿124

169.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.02

$1.66 ฿56.0

-13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 SEK 27.99

$1.46 ฿49.32

95.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 SEK 44.73

$1.50 ฿50.5

204.00%

Eggs

$3.68 SEK 36.10

$2.09 ฿70.5

76.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 SEK 98.1

$19.07 ฿643

-47.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.20 SEK 130

$3.30 ฿111

300.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.04 SEK 177

$10.91 ฿368

65.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 40.73

$2.93 ฿98.9

41.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 SEK 27.12

$1.69 ฿57.0

63.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 SEK 34.41

$2.25 ฿75.8

55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 SEK 50.8

$2.08 ฿70.1

148.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.11

$1.51 ฿51.0

1.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.56

$1.38 ฿46.54

22.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.25

$1.07 ฿35.97

140.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 SEK 12.99

$0.52 ฿17.51

153.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.10 SEK 79.6

$4.20 ฿142

92.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 SEK 76.7

$18.79 ฿634

-58.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 SEK 24.67

$1.82 ฿61.5

37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.17

$2.84 ฿95.9

-9.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.71 SEK 36.39

$1.45 ฿49.00

155.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 SEK 823

$56.7 ฿1,912

47.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 SEK 51.7

$3.02 ฿102

74.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.71

$1.02 ฿34.34

26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 SEK 595

$3.69 ฿125

1541.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.55

$1.47 ฿49.78

21.77%

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

$33.7K SEK 330.8K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

25.82%

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

$33.7K SEK 331.2K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

26.35%

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

$111 SEK 1,092

$96.4 ฿3,252

15.40%

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

$10.90 SEK 107

$11.26 ฿380

-3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.39 SEK 475

$16.85 ฿569

187.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.63 SEK 360

$67.2 ฿2,269

-45.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.70 SEK 292

$10.73 ฿362

176.79%

Cinema Ticket

$17.99 SEK 177

$7.50 ฿253

139.87%

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

$126 SEK 1,234

$476 ฿16.1K

-73.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,824 SEK 47.4K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-57.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 SEK 1,019

$62.4 ฿2,105

66.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.95 SEK 294

$28.41 ฿959

5.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 SEK 588

$94.3 ฿3,182

-36.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$200 SEK 1,960

$85.8 ฿2,896

132.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 SEK 7,880

$716 ฿24.2K

12.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 SEK 5,813

$491 ฿16.6K

20.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 SEK 13.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-29.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 SEK 9,853

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-29.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,027 SEK 39.5K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-3.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 SEK 28.0K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-6.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,253 SEK 31.9K

$502 ฿17.0K

547.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Skovde: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skovde

$592 33.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 17.1% $101

Groceries & Markets

Skovde

$370 21%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.1% $104

Eating Out

Skovde

$269 15.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.7% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Skovde

$177 10%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 31.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skovde

$170 9.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27% $46

Getting Around

Skovde

$110 6.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 36% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Skovde

$73 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 13.3% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $803 in Skovde and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skovde pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Skovde vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Skovde

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

6 h ahead of Skovde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,466

79,308

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skovde Phuket 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Skovde
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

Skovde vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 27% 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 Skovde is about 6.5 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: $803 in Skovde versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $126 in Skovde versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Skovde. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,761 in Skovde, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Skovde. 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, Skovde 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 27% less than in Skovde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.