Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ystad and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,646 in Ystad, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ystad
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Ystad Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ystad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Ystad versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ystad $1,646
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Ystad versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ystad $2,592
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,538 in Ystad versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ystad $3,538
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ystad is roughly 29% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ystad is 21% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 SEK 119

$4.47 ฿151

171.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 SEK 845

$32.41 ฿1,093

165.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 SEK 100

$8.81 ฿297

16.12%

Cappuccino

$3.06 SEK 30.05

$2.83 ฿95.4

8.13%

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

$2.98 SEK 29.25

$0.87 ฿29.41

242.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.25

$0.49 ฿16.65

363.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 SEK 68.6

$2.56 ฿86.3

173.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 SEK 72.5

$3.68 ฿124

100.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.74

$1.66 ฿55.9

3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 SEK 27.47

$1.46 ฿49.31

91.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 SEK 30.87

$1.50 ฿50.5

110.00%

Eggs

$3.10 SEK 30.39

$2.09 ฿70.5

48.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 SEK 113

$19.07 ฿643

-39.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 SEK 86.8

$3.30 ฿111

167.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 SEK 162

$10.91 ฿368

50.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.35

$2.93 ฿98.9

2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 23.98

$1.69 ฿57.0

44.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 SEK 28.79

$2.25 ฿75.8

30.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.31

$2.08 ฿70.0

117.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.14

$1.51 ฿51.0

1.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.64

$1.38 ฿46.52

23.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.19

$1.07 ฿35.96

83.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 SEK 16.27

$0.52 ฿17.51

219.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.19 SEK 80.4

$4.20 ฿142

95.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 SEK 118

$18.79 ฿634

-35.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.11

$1.82 ฿61.5

12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SEK 22.42

$2.84 ฿95.8

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 SEK 32.95

$1.45 ฿48.98

131.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 SEK 776

$56.7 ฿1,912

39.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 59.4

$3.02 ฿102

100.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 SEK 17.07

$1.02 ฿34.33

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 581

$3.69 ฿125

1504.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.37

$1.47 ฿49.76

20.41%

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

$29.9K SEK 293.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

11.71%

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

$33.3K SEK 326.8K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

24.76%

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

$105 SEK 1,029

$96.4 ฿3,251

8.86%

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

$19.69 SEK 193

$11.26 ฿380

74.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 SEK 296

$16.85 ฿568

78.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 SEK 367

$67.2 ฿2,268

-44.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.36 SEK 259

$10.73 ฿362

145.67%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 SEK 119

$7.50 ฿253

62.00%

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

$180 SEK 1,764

$476 ฿16.1K

-62.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,351 SEK 42.7K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-61.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 SEK 503

$62.4 ฿2,104

-17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.38 SEK 328

$28.41 ฿958

17.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 SEK 858

$94.3 ฿3,181

-7.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 SEK 1,310

$85.8 ฿2,895

55.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 SEK 7,773

$716 ฿24.2K

10.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,010

$491 ฿16.6K

24.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-29.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 SEK 10.0K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-28.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 39.5K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-3.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,767 SEK 27.1K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-9.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,881 SEK 18.5K

$502 ฿16.9K

274.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

5.57

-45.06%

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

Last update for Ystad: 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

Ystad

$612 37.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 19.9% $122

Groceries & Markets

Ystad

$337 20.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 20.9% $71

Eating Out

Ystad

$235 14.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 48.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ystad

$155 9.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 19.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ystad

$137 8.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.3% $16

Getting Around

Ystad

$107 6.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 34.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ystad

$62 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 33.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

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

Ystad pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Ystad vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Ystad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

6 h ahead of Ystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,350

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

Ystad Phuket 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ystad
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

Ystad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ystad is about 3.7 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: $792 in Ystad versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $180 in Ystad 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 26% higher in Ystad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,646 in Ystad, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ystad. 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, Ystad 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 22% less than in Ystad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.