Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Busan is 46% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 19.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Busan is 39.1% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 2.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Busan
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.18 ₩10.7K
$4.65 ฿149
54.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.16 ₩53.7K
$46.11 ฿1,474
-21.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.02 ₩8,939
$8.74 ฿279
-31.12%
Cappuccino
$4.09 ₩6,065
$3.04 ฿97.1
34.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 ₩2,776
$0.72 ฿23.03
159.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₩2,002
$0.39 ฿12.50
246.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.77 ₩5,601
$2.44 ฿78.0
54.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.92 ₩8,784
$3.79 ฿121
56.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Busan
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 ₩3,364
$2.14 ฿68.6
6.07%
White Bread (500g)
$3.59 ₩5,332
$1.86 ฿59.5
93.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.96 ₩4,397
$2.19 ฿69.9
35.16%
Eggs
$2.96 ₩4,386
$2.25 ฿71.8
31.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.38 ₩15.4K
$19.73 ฿631
-47.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.45 ₩12.5K
$3.79 ฿121
122.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$27.52 ₩40.8K
$13.55 ฿433
103.10%
Apples (1kg)
$8.58 ₩12.7K
$3.25 ฿104
164.00%
Banana (1kg)
$3.14 ₩4,662
$1.67 ฿53.4
88.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.20 ₩10.7K
$2.39 ฿76.5
201.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.32 ₩7,897
$2.09 ฿66.9
154.55%
Potato (1kg)
$5.03 ₩7,471
$1.53 ฿48.88
228.76%
Onion (1kg)
$3.03 ₩4,494
$1.51 ฿48.27
100.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.11 ₩3,131
$0.99 ฿31.62
113.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 ₩1,718
$0.51 ฿16.46
127.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.40 ₩5,039
$4.27 ฿137
-20.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.01 ₩25.2K
$20.31 ฿649
-16.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₩2,492
$1.79 ฿57.3
-6.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 ₩4,998
$2.77 ฿88.5
21.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Busan
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 ₩1,731
$1.40 ฿44.89
-16.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.88 ₩65.1K
$11.70 ฿374
275.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 ₩5,121
$3.11 ฿99.4
10.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 ₩1,185
$0.99 ฿31.80
-19.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.83 ₩25.0K
$13.73 ฿439
22.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ₩1,799
$1.32 ฿42.17
-8.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ₩40.7M
$27.2K ฿870.7K
0.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K ₩37.5M
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-25.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Busan
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$187 ₩278.2K
$120 ฿3,849
55.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$50.2 ₩74.5K
$13.93 ฿445
260.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.30 ₩40.5K
$18.31 ฿585
49.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Busan
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.7 ₩76.6K
$60.9 ฿1,948
-15.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.06 ₩19.4K
$17.23 ฿551
-24.20%
Cinema Ticket
$11.31 ₩16.8K
$8.71 ฿278
29.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Busan
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$482 ₩715.8K
$698 ฿22.3K
-30.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.4K ₩21.4M
$15.7K ฿503.0K
-8.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Busan
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₩154.0K
$57.6 ฿1,843
80.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.4 ₩98.5K
$34.24 ฿1,095
93.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 ₩129.7K
$113 ฿3,618
-22.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 ₩176.1K
$84.8 ฿2,711
39.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Busan
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$510 ₩756.5K
$604 ฿19.3K
-15.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$316 ₩468.3K
$436 ฿13.9K
-27.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 ₩1.5M
$2,057 ฿65.8K
-50.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$652 ₩967.0K
$1,498 ฿47.9K
-56.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,960 ₩13.3M
$4,252 ฿135.9K
110.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,927 ₩10.3M
$2,988 ฿95.5K
131.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Busan
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,499 ₩3.7M
$529 ฿16.9K
372.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
5.33
-20.83%

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

Last update for Busan: March 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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