Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tumba and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,896 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Tumba
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Tumba Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tumba

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,896

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,896 in Tumba versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tumba $1,896
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,899 in Tumba versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tumba $2,899
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,901 in Tumba versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tumba $3,901
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tumba is roughly 48% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tumba is 39% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.20 SEK 141

$4.47 ฿151

217.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 SEK 645

$32.41 ฿1,094

100.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 SEK 98.8

$8.81 ฿297

12.94%

Cappuccino

$4.29 SEK 42.62

$2.83 ฿95.5

51.59%

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

$2.65 SEK 26.32

$0.87 ฿29.43

204.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.98

$0.49 ฿16.67

351.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 SEK 71.2

$2.56 ฿86.4

180.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 SEK 68.6

$3.68 ฿124

87.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.74

$1.66 ฿56.0

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 SEK 30.32

$1.46 ฿49.35

108.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 37.26

$1.50 ฿50.6

150.00%

Eggs

$5.03 SEK 49.99

$2.09 ฿70.5

140.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 SEK 129

$19.07 ฿644

-31.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.25 SEK 132

$3.30 ฿111

301.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.49 SEK 174

$10.91 ฿368

60.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 SEK 32.26

$2.93 ฿99.0

10.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.65

$1.69 ฿57.1

58.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 SEK 20.45

$2.25 ฿75.8

-8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 SEK 44.71

$2.08 ฿70.1

116.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 SEK 14.40

$1.51 ฿51.0

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 17.92

$1.38 ฿46.56

30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 SEK 22.87

$1.07 ฿35.99

114.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 SEK 18.70

$0.52 ฿17.52

261.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.15 SEK 71.0

$4.20 ฿142

70.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 SEK 99.7

$18.79 ฿634

-46.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.99

$1.82 ฿61.5

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.37

$2.84 ฿95.9

-20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.26 SEK 42.31

$1.45 ฿49.03

193.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 SEK 1,022

$56.7 ฿1,913

81.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 SEK 57.5

$3.02 ฿102

91.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SEK 14.67

$1.02 ฿34.36

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 567

$3.69 ฿125

1448.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.99

$1.47 ฿49.81

23.13%

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

$33.4K SEK 332.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

24.85%

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

$34.0K SEK 337.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

27.23%

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

$176 SEK 1,746

$96.4 ฿3,254

82.46%

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

$21.42 SEK 213

$11.26 ฿380

90.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.20 SEK 479

$16.85 ฿569

186.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.34 SEK 401

$67.2 ฿2,270

-40.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.36 SEK 262

$10.73 ฿362

145.67%

Cinema Ticket

$16.89 SEK 168

$7.50 ฿253

125.20%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$476 ฿16.1K

-66.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,131 SEK 51.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-54.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 SEK 1,123

$62.4 ฿2,106

81.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 SEK 532

$28.41 ฿959

88.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 SEK 941

$94.3 ฿3,184

0.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,843

$85.8 ฿2,898

116.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 SEK 7,866

$716 ฿24.2K

10.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 SEK 5,953

$491 ฿16.6K

22.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 SEK 13.7K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-28.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 SEK 10.0K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-29.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,992 SEK 39.6K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-4.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,784 SEK 27.6K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-8.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

5.57

-49.73%

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

Last update for Tumba: 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

Tumba

$599 31.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 18.1% $109

Groceries & Markets

Tumba

$379 20%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 29.7% $113

Eating Out

Tumba

$264 13.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 53.9% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tumba

$245 12.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 49.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Tumba

$201 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 39.4% $79

Getting Around

Tumba

$133 7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 47% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Tumba

$74 3.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 10.9% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $792 in Tumba and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Tumba vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Tumba

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

6 h ahead of Tumba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,344

79,308

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tumba Phuket 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tumba
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

Tumba vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,844 in Tumba and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $792 in Tumba versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $158 in Tumba 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 42% higher in Tumba. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,896 in Tumba, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tumba. 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, Tumba 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 33% less than in Tumba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.