Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ansan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,415 in Ansan, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Ansan
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Ansan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ansan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,415 in Ansan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ansan $1,415
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,177 in Ansan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ansan $2,177
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,939 in Ansan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ansan $2,939
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ansan is roughly 11% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ansan is 4% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 ₩9,958

$4.47 ฿151

66.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.75 ₩46.6K

$32.41 ฿1,092

7.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 ₩8,976

$8.81 ฿297

-23.95%

Cappuccino

$4.09 ₩5,486

$2.83 ฿95.3

44.52%

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

$1.58 ₩2,113

$0.87 ฿29.37

81.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₩1,027

$0.49 ฿16.64

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₩4,769

$2.56 ฿86.2

39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ₩6,166

$3.68 ฿124

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,743

$1.66 ฿55.9

23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,128

$1.46 ฿49.25

110.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ₩3,158

$1.50 ฿50.4

57.33%

Eggs

$3.68 ₩4,938

$2.09 ฿70.4

76.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ₩21.5K

$19.07 ฿642

-15.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 ₩10.7K

$3.30 ฿111

142.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.18 ₩23.0K

$10.91 ฿368

57.47%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$2.93 ฿98.7

161.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 ₩4,334

$1.69 ฿56.9

91.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,785

$2.25 ฿75.7

158.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.43 ₩8,621

$2.08 ฿70.0

209.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,815

$1.51 ฿50.9

137.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 ₩3,546

$1.38 ฿46.47

92.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₩2,864

$1.07 ฿35.91

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,544

$0.52 ฿17.49

121.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,514

$4.20 ฿142

-19.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.15 ₩25.7K

$18.79 ฿633

1.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,085

$1.82 ฿61.4

26.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₩4,420

$2.84 ฿95.7

16.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,529

$1.45 ฿48.93

-21.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 ₩5,052

$3.02 ฿102

24.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩857

$1.02 ฿34.29

-37.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 ₩12.4K

$3.69 ฿124

150.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,886

$1.47 ฿49.70

-4.08%

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

$29.9K ₩40.1M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

11.75%

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

$29.0K ₩38.9M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

8.73%

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

$213 ₩285.8K

$96.4 ฿3,247

121.27%

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

$35.59 ₩47.7K

$11.26 ฿380

216.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.25 ₩28.5K

$16.85 ฿568

26.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 ₩49.6K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-44.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.2K

$7.50 ฿253

51.60%

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

$299 ₩400.9K

$476 ฿16.0K

-37.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K ₩24.4M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

61.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ₩77.2K

$62.4 ฿2,102

-7.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.41 ₩44.8K

$28.41 ฿957

17.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₩95.9K

$94.3 ฿3,178

-24.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 ₩110.4K

$85.8 ฿2,892

-4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₩617.3K

$716 ฿24.1K

-35.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ₩504.0K

$491 ฿16.5K

-23.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 ₩1.5M

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₩1.0M

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-46.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$21.1K ₩28.3M

$4,175 ฿140.7K

406.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,493 ₩2.0M

$502 ฿16.9K

197.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.57

-26.75%

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

Last update for Ansan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ansan

$423 29.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 37.1% $157

Accommodation & Living

Ansan

$376 26.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 30.6% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ansan

$270 19.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53.9% $146

Eating Out

Ansan

$165 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ansan

$110 7.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 10.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ansan

$60 4.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 37.6% $22

Getting Around

Ansan

$12 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 512% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $461 in Ansan and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ansan pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ansan vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $423 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ansan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

2 h behind Ansan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

677,710

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ansan Phuket 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ansan
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

Ansan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ansan is about 3 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: $461 in Ansan versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $299 in Ansan versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Ansan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Ansan and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Ansan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.