Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varnamo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Varnamo versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Varnamo $1,692
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,672 in Varnamo versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Varnamo $2,672
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,652 in Varnamo versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Varnamo $3,652
Phuket $3,154

Living in Varnamo is roughly 32% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varnamo is 24% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.01 SEK 128

$4.47 ฿151

191.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 SEK 880

$32.41 ฿1,093

176.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 SEK 120

$8.81 ฿297

38.82%

Cappuccino

$4.68 SEK 45.91

$2.83 ฿95.4

65.37%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.67

$0.87 ฿29.41

212.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 20.90

$0.49 ฿16.65

334.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 76.7

$2.56 ฿86.3

205.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 69.5

$3.68 ฿124

92.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.83

$1.66 ฿55.9

3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 SEK 24.51

$1.46 ฿49.31

71.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 SEK 34.78

$1.50 ฿50.5

136.00%

Eggs

$4.63 SEK 45.42

$2.09 ฿70.5

121.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 SEK 123

$19.07 ฿643

-34.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 115

$3.30 ฿111

255.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 SEK 154

$10.91 ฿368

43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.55

$2.93 ฿98.9

6.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.01

$1.69 ฿57.0

50.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.66

$2.25 ฿75.8

25.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.35

$2.08 ฿70.0

117.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.92

$1.51 ฿51.0

13.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 13.85

$1.38 ฿46.52

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.23

$1.07 ฿35.96

140.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SEK 14.95

$0.52 ฿17.51

192.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 SEK 76.7

$4.20 ฿142

85.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 SEK 109

$18.79 ฿634

-40.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 18.99

$1.82 ฿61.5

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SEK 25.94

$2.84 ฿95.8

-7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 SEK 31.33

$1.45 ฿48.98

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 SEK 733

$56.7 ฿1,912

31.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 SEK 49.48

$3.02 ฿102

66.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 SEK 10.58

$1.02 ฿34.33

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.06 SEK 403

$3.69 ฿125

1012.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.87

$1.47 ฿49.76

17.01%

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

$33.6K SEK 329.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

25.39%

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

$34.2K SEK 336.1K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

28.31%

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

$77.0 SEK 755

$96.4 ฿3,251

-20.13%

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

$17.22 SEK 169

$11.26 ฿380

52.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 SEK 299

$16.85 ฿568

80.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.03 SEK 383

$67.2 ฿2,268

-41.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.33 SEK 219

$10.73 ฿362

108.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 SEK 151

$7.50 ฿253

104.80%

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

$157 SEK 1,539

$476 ฿16.1K

-67.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,450 SEK 43.7K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-60.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 SEK 789

$62.4 ฿2,104

28.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 SEK 557

$28.41 ฿958

99.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SEK 980

$94.3 ฿3,181

5.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SEK 1,208

$85.8 ฿2,895

43.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,795

$716 ฿24.2K

10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,003

$491 ฿16.6K

24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 SEK 11.6K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-38.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 SEK 9,664

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-31.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 39.5K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-3.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,853 SEK 28.0K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-6.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,032 SEK 19.9K

$502 ฿16.9K

304.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

5.57

-45.60%

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

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varnamo

$612 36.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 19.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Varnamo

$357 21.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.4% $91

Eating Out

Varnamo

$269 15.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.8% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Varnamo

$162 9.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varnamo

$125 7.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Varnamo

$98 5.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 27.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Varnamo

$70 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 17.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Varnamo and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varnamo pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Varnamo vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

04:13 4:13 AM

6 h ahead of Varnamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,778

79,308

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varnamo Phuket 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Varnamo
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

Varnamo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 24% 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 Varnamo is about 4 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: $794 in Varnamo versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $157 in Varnamo 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 34% higher in Varnamo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,692 in Varnamo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Varnamo. 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, Varnamo 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 24% less than in Varnamo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.