Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changwon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,529 in Changwon, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Changwon despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
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Changwon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,529

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,529 in Changwon versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Changwon $1,529
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,381 in Changwon versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Changwon $2,381
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,233 in Changwon versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Changwon $3,233
Phuket $3,154

Living in Changwon is roughly 20% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Changwon is 12% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.34 ₩9,806

$4.47 ฿151

64.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.81 ₩37.1K

$32.41 ฿1,093

-14.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ₩7,126

$8.81 ฿297

-39.39%

Cappuccino

$3.78 ₩5,050

$2.83 ฿95.4

33.57%

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

$1.87 ₩2,499

$0.87 ฿29.41

114.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₩1,351

$0.49 ฿16.65

106.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 ₩4,027

$2.56 ฿86.3

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₩5,836

$3.68 ฿124

18.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₩3,143

$1.66 ฿55.9

41.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 ₩4,332

$1.46 ฿49.31

121.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 ₩4,278

$1.50 ฿50.5

113.33%

Eggs

$2.63 ₩3,517

$2.09 ฿70.5

25.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 ₩14.8K

$19.07 ฿643

-41.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₩14.1K

$3.30 ฿111

218.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.38 ₩33.9K

$10.91 ฿368

132.63%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.2K

$2.93 ฿98.9

288.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.73 ₩4,980

$1.69 ฿57.0

120.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.96 ₩10.6K

$2.25 ฿75.8

253.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 ₩7,829

$2.08 ฿70.0

181.73%

Potato (1kg)

$5.95 ₩7,945

$1.51 ฿51.0

294.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,509

$1.38 ฿46.52

144.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 ₩3,809

$1.07 ฿35.96

166.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₩1,768

$0.52 ฿17.51

153.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,494

$4.20 ฿142

-19.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ₩25.2K

$18.79 ฿634

0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ₩3,298

$1.82 ฿61.5

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 ₩4,513

$2.84 ฿95.8

19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ₩1,549

$1.45 ฿48.98

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ₩3,985

$3.02 ฿102

-1.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,046

$1.02 ฿34.33

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 ₩22.4K

$3.69 ฿125

355.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,819

$1.47 ฿49.76

-7.48%

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

$39.0K ₩52.1M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

45.71%

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

$33.9K ₩45.3M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

27.12%

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

$200 ₩266.8K

$96.4 ฿3,251

107.40%

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

$36.15 ₩48.3K

$11.26 ฿380

221.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 ₩36.7K

$16.85 ฿568

62.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₩71.2K

$67.2 ฿2,268

-20.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.13 ₩18.9K

$10.73 ฿362

31.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 ₩15.1K

$7.50 ฿253

50.53%

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

$646 ₩862.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

35.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.7M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

90.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₩139.5K

$62.4 ฿2,104

67.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 ₩87.5K

$28.41 ฿958

130.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₩123.3K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-2.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₩171.6K

$85.8 ฿2,895

49.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 ₩646.1K

$716 ฿24.2K

-32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₩475.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

-27.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 ₩1.5M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-39.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 ₩1.0M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-47.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,009 ₩9.4M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

67.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,457 ₩7.3M

$3,045 ฿102.7K

79.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 ₩2.3M

$502 ฿16.9K

241.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.57

-24.24%

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

Last update for Changwon: 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

Changwon

$491 32.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 45.7% $224

Accommodation & Living

Changwon

$356 23.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 37.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changwon

$263 17.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52.8% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Changwon

$176 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.7% $54

Eating Out

Changwon

$156 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Changwon

$76 5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 8.3% $6.3

Getting Around

Changwon

$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 $484 in Changwon and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changwon pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Changwon vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $491 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Changwon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

2 h behind Changwon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,055,839

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Changwon Phuket 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Changwon
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

Changwon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,529 in Changwon and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Changwon is about 3.4 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: $484 in Changwon versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Changwon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,529 per month in Changwon versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,529 in Changwon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Changwon. 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, Changwon 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, Changwon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.