Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chungju and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,450 in Chungju, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Chungju despite lower rent and utilities.

70

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
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Chungju Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,450

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,450 per month in Chungju vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Chungju $1,450
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Chungju vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Chungju $2,312
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,173 per month in Chungju vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Chungju $3,173
Phuket $3,154

Chungju costs about 13% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chungju sits 7% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ₩10.3K

$4.47 ฿151

72.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.08 ₩65.9K

$32.41 ฿1,094

51.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 ₩9,052

$8.81 ฿297

-23.50%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ₩4,859

$2.83 ฿95.5

27.92%

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

$1.78 ₩2,394

$0.87 ฿29.43

104.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₩1,953

$0.49 ฿16.67

195.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 ₩5,000

$2.56 ฿86.4

45.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,822

$3.68 ฿124

17.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,112

$1.66 ฿56.0

39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 ₩3,964

$1.46 ฿49.35

102.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 ₩4,150

$1.50 ฿50.6

106.00%

Eggs

$2.66 ₩3,576

$2.09 ฿70.5

27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$19.07 ฿644

-41.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.59 ₩10.2K

$3.30 ฿111

130.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.68 ₩33.1K

$10.91 ฿368

126.21%

Apples (1kg)

$8.96 ₩12.0K

$2.93 ฿99.0

205.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.69 ₩4,954

$1.69 ฿57.1

118.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.96 ₩10.7K

$2.25 ฿75.8

253.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 ₩7,778

$2.08 ฿70.1

178.37%

Potato (1kg)

$6.09 ₩8,176

$1.51 ฿51.0

303.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,550

$1.38 ฿46.56

145.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,684

$1.07 ฿35.99

156.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₩1,743

$0.52 ฿17.52

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,418

$4.20 ฿142

-21.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.95 ₩25.4K

$18.79 ฿634

0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$1.82 ฿61.5

32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ₩3,980

$2.84 ฿95.9

4.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,483

$1.45 ฿49.03

-24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₩4,855

$3.02 ฿102

19.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩968

$1.02 ฿34.36

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.99 ₩22.8K

$3.69 ฿125

360.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,918

$1.47 ฿49.81

-2.72%

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

$39.4K ₩53.0M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

47.29%

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

$34.5K ₩46.3M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

29.14%

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

$198 ₩265.6K

$96.4 ฿3,254

105.32%

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

$27.49 ₩36.9K

$11.26 ฿380

144.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.04 ₩36.3K

$16.85 ฿569

60.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ₩72.9K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-19.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 ₩19.2K

$10.73 ฿362

33.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 ₩16.0K

$7.50 ฿253

58.53%

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

$629 ₩844.7K

$476 ฿16.1K

32.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ₩29.7M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

96.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 ₩102.1K

$62.4 ฿2,106

21.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.91 ₩50.9K

$28.41 ฿959

33.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ₩98.9K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-21.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩151.6K

$85.8 ฿2,898

31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₩649.1K

$716 ฿24.2K

-32.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ₩471.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

-28.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 ₩1.6M

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-38.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-46.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,118 ₩9.6M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

70.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,478 ₩7.4M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

79.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,672 ₩2.2M

$502 ฿17.0K

232.90%

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 Chungju: 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

Chungju

$456 31.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 41.7% $190

Accommodation & Living

Chungju

$351 24.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 39.9% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chungju

$252 17.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 50.7% $128

Eating Out

Chungju

$165 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chungju

$135 9.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chungju

$78 5.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 5.3% $4.2

Getting Around

Chungju

$12 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 506% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $483 in Chungju versus $716 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 Chungju are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Chungju versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Chungju

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

2 h behind Chungju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,529

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chungju Phuket 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chungju
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

Chungju vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chungju costs about 13% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,175 per month in Chungju and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chungju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,450 in Chungju and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $629 per month in Chungju and $476 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,450 in Chungju. 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, Chungju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.