Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,248 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,248

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,248 in Stavanger versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Stavanger $3,248
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,717 in Stavanger versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Stavanger $4,717
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,186 in Stavanger versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Stavanger $6,186
Phuket $3,154

Living in Stavanger is roughly 154% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Stavanger is 139% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.67 NOK 229

$4.47 ฿151

451.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 NOK 910

$32.41 ฿1,094

202.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.23 NOK 151

$8.81 ฿297

84.22%

Cappuccino

$6.22 NOK 57.7

$2.83 ฿95.5

119.79%

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

$5.89 NOK 54.7

$0.87 ฿29.43

577.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 42.07

$0.49 ฿16.67

824.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.76 NOK 128

$2.56 ฿86.4

437.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.62 NOK 98.7

$3.68 ฿124

188.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.48

$1.66 ฿56.0

52.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 NOK 32.69

$1.46 ฿49.35

141.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 NOK 36.94

$1.50 ฿50.6

165.33%

Eggs

$4.75 NOK 44.17

$2.09 ฿70.5

127.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 NOK 141

$19.07 ฿644

-20.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.54 NOK 163

$3.30 ฿111

431.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 336

$10.91 ฿368

231.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 NOK 32.81

$2.93 ฿99.0

20.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NOK 26.55

$1.69 ฿57.1

69.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.62

$2.25 ฿75.8

60.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 NOK 45.80

$2.08 ฿70.1

137.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.73

$1.51 ฿51.0

68.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 NOK 28.91

$1.38 ฿46.56

125.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 NOK 26.91

$1.07 ฿35.99

171.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.66

$0.52 ฿17.52

348.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.27 NOK 170

$4.20 ฿142

335.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 NOK 176

$18.79 ฿634

0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 NOK 35.34

$1.82 ฿61.5

108.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 NOK 41.90

$2.84 ฿95.9

58.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.75 NOK 44.09

$1.45 ฿49.03

227.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 NOK 794

$56.7 ฿1,913

50.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 NOK 58.3

$3.02 ฿102

107.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.73

$1.02 ฿34.36

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 NOK 983

$3.69 ฿125

2767.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 22.90

$1.47 ฿49.81

67.35%

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

$49.1K NOK 456.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

83.39%

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

$42.2K NOK 392.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

58.16%

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

$260 NOK 2,412

$96.4 ฿3,254

169.44%

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

$33.92 NOK 315

$11.26 ฿380

201.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 NOK 742

$16.85 ฿569

374.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 NOK 483

$67.2 ฿2,270

-22.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.64 NOK 350

$10.73 ฿362

250.79%

Cinema Ticket

$22.16 NOK 206

$7.50 ฿253

195.47%

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

$325 NOK 3,023

$476 ฿16.1K

-31.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K NOK 133.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

27.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,205

$62.4 ฿2,106

107.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 NOK 575

$28.41 ฿959

118.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$151 NOK 1,401

$94.3 ฿3,184

59.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 NOK 1,911

$85.8 ฿2,898

139.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 NOK 16.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

152.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 NOK 13.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

191.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 NOK 26.9K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,145 NOK 19.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

49.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,468 NOK 60.1K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

54.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,430 NOK 50.4K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

78.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,086 NOK 47.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

912.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.24

5.57

-5.92%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 44%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 65.6% $938

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$530 16.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 49.8% $264

Eating Out

Stavanger

$452 13.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 73.1% $331

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$373 11.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.7% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$247 7.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 50.6% $125

Getting Around

Stavanger

$120 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 41% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$96 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 14.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Stavanger and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Stavanger vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

6 h ahead of Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

79,308

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Phuket 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
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

Stavanger vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 61% 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 Stavanger is about 10 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: $1,805 in Stavanger versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Stavanger 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 99% higher in Stavanger. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,248 in Stavanger, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Stavanger 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 61% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.