Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucheon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,447 in Bucheon, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Bucheon despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bucheon
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Bucheon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bucheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,447

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,447 per month in Bucheon vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Bucheon $1,447
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,518 per month in Bucheon vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Bucheon $2,518
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,588 per month in Bucheon vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Bucheon $3,588
Phuket $3,115

Bucheon costs about 12% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bucheon sits 7% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$4.39 ฿147

98.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 ₩92.5K

$32.31 ฿1,085

113.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 ₩9,740

$8.70 ฿292

-16.44%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₩5,225

$2.72 ฿91.5

43.38%

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

$1.62 ₩2,175

$0.93 ฿31.25

74.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,080

$0.50 ฿16.78

62.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,876

$2.53 ฿85.0

43.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 ₩8,091

$3.63 ฿122

66.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₩2,675

$1.74 ฿58.4

14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₩4,169

$1.45 ฿48.73

114.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 ₩5,816

$1.50 ฿50.5

189.33%

Eggs

$3.50 ₩4,696

$2.17 ฿73.0

61.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.20 ₩24.4K

$19.09 ฿641

-4.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₩14.1K

$3.40 ฿114

209.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 ₩34.2K

$10.90 ฿366

134.31%

Apples (1kg)

$7.48 ₩10.0K

$2.94 ฿98.8

154.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.40 ₩4,556

$1.69 ฿56.8

101.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.73 ₩7,684

$2.19 ฿73.7

161.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,288

$2.12 ฿71.4

191.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,771

$1.46 ฿48.99

143.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ₩3,304

$1.37 ฿45.95

79.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 ₩3,831

$1.08 ฿36.14

164.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,522

$0.55 ฿18.32

107.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,436

$4.43 ฿149

-25.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 ₩24.7K

$18.25 ฿613

1.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₩3,178

$1.77 ฿59.5

33.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₩4,361

$2.88 ฿96.8

12.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 ₩1,573

$1.45 ฿48.62

-19.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ₩4,739

$1.51 ฿50.8

134.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₩757

$0.78 ฿26.06

-28.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.18 ₩12.3K

$3.84 ฿129

139.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,909

$1.49 ฿49.96

-4.70%

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

$28.8K ₩38.6M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

7.16%

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

$27.9K ₩37.4M

$26.3K ฿884.9K

5.97%

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

$211 ₩282.9K

$97.8 ฿3,285

115.74%

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

$34.71 ₩46.5K

$11.29 ฿379

207.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 ₩28.3K

$17.19 ฿577

22.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.49 ₩62.3K

$68.3 ฿2,295

-31.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.77 ₩18.5K

$10.92 ฿367

26.10%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 ₩15.1K

$7.43 ฿250

51.41%

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

$452 ₩606.0K

$530 ฿17.8K

-14.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ₩35.3M

$18.8K ฿630.9K

40.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ₩83.2K

$61.7 ฿2,072

0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.06 ₩44.3K

$28.25 ฿949

17.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 ₩92.5K

$96.0 ฿3,225

-28.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.2 ₩108.9K

$86.8 ฿2,916

-6.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₩646.2K

$721 ฿24.2K

-33.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ₩453.3K

$509 ฿17.1K

-33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ₩1.9M

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-26.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 ₩1.4M

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-23.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,581 ₩8.8M

$4,192 ฿140.8K

56.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,481 ₩7.3M

$3,298 ฿110.8K

66.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,477 ₩2.0M

$492 ฿16.5K

200.55%

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 Bucheon: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bucheon

$474 32.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 43.7% $207

Accommodation & Living

Bucheon

$338 23.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 50.5% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucheon

$267 18.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 52.7% $141

Eating Out

Bucheon

$178 12.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 32.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Bucheon

$110 7.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 11.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bucheon

$69 4.8%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 20.6% $14

Getting Around

Bucheon

$11 * 0.8%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 498% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Bucheon versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bucheon are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Bucheon versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $474 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Bucheon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

12:25 12:25 PM

2 h behind Bucheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

848,191

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucheon Phuket 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucheon
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

Bucheon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,447 in Bucheon, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,171 per month in Bucheon and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,447 in Bucheon and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $452 per month in Bucheon and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,447 in Bucheon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bucheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.