Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gongju and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,522 in Gongju, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Gongju despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
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Gongju Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,522 per month in Gongju vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Gongju $1,522
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,522 per month in Gongju vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Gongju $2,522
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,522 per month in Gongju vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Gongju $3,522
Phuket $3,115

Gongju costs about 18% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Gongju sits 13% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₩9,708

$4.39 ฿147

64.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.72 ₩64.0K

$32.31 ฿1,085

47.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₩8,956

$8.70 ฿292

-23.22%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₩4,961

$2.72 ฿91.5

36.03%

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

$1.80 ₩2,417

$0.93 ฿31.25

93.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 ₩1,850

$0.50 ฿16.78

176.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,898

$2.53 ฿85.0

44.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ₩5,606

$3.63 ฿122

15.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₩3,132

$1.74 ฿58.4

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,320

$1.45 ฿48.73

122.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 ₩4,061

$1.50 ฿50.5

102.00%

Eggs

$2.68 ₩3,590

$2.17 ฿73.0

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₩14.5K

$19.09 ฿641

-43.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₩14.0K

$3.40 ฿114

207.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.97 ₩33.5K

$10.90 ฿366

129.08%

Apples (1kg)

$11.02 ₩14.8K

$2.94 ฿98.8

274.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 ₩4,895

$1.69 ฿56.8

115.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.16 ₩10.9K

$2.19 ฿73.7

272.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 ₩8,082

$2.12 ฿71.4

184.43%

Potato (1kg)

$5.80 ₩7,773

$1.46 ฿48.99

297.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,350

$1.37 ฿45.95

137.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 ₩3,828

$1.08 ฿36.14

164.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,705

$0.55 ฿18.32

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,575

$4.43 ฿149

-23.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.26 ₩24.5K

$18.25 ฿613

0.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,185

$1.77 ฿59.5

34.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₩4,827

$2.88 ฿96.8

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 ₩1,605

$1.45 ฿48.62

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ₩4,875

$1.51 ฿50.8

141.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩895

$0.78 ฿26.06

-14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 ₩19.6K

$3.84 ฿129

281.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,868

$1.49 ฿49.96

-6.71%

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

$39.8K ₩53.3M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

47.89%

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

$33.7K ₩45.1M

$26.3K ฿884.9K

27.73%

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

$200 ₩268.6K

$97.8 ฿3,285

104.83%

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

$36.89 ₩49.5K

$11.29 ฿379

226.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 ₩36.0K

$17.19 ฿577

56.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 ₩78.1K

$68.3 ฿2,295

-14.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.41 ₩20.7K

$10.92 ฿367

41.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 ₩15.8K

$7.43 ฿250

58.41%

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

$636 ₩853.1K

$530 ฿17.8K

19.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K ₩28.9M

$18.8K ฿630.9K

14.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩140.8K

$61.7 ฿2,072

70.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 ₩86.4K

$28.25 ฿949

128.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 ₩123.9K

$96.0 ฿3,225

-3.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩171.6K

$86.8 ฿2,916

47.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₩567.9K

$721 ฿24.2K

-41.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₩459.4K

$509 ฿17.1K

-32.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 ₩1.9M

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-27.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 ₩1.3M

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-33.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,877 ₩9.2M

$4,192 ฿140.8K

64.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,486 ₩7.4M

$3,298 ฿110.8K

66.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,309 ₩1.8M

$492 ฿16.5K

166.19%

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 Gongju: 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

Gongju

$484 31.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 44.9% $217

Accommodation & Living

Gongju

$343 22.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 48.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gongju

$264 17.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 52.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Gongju

$175 11.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 30.1% $53

Eating Out

Gongju

$162 10.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 26.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Gongju

$82 5.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 1.7% $1.4

Getting Around

Gongju

$12 * 0.8%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 462% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Gongju 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 Gongju are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Gongju versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $484 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gongju

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

2 h behind Gongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,428

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

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Highest

Between locations

Gongju Phuket 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gongju
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

Gongju vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,522 in Gongju, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,283 per month in Gongju 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 Gongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,522 in Gongju and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Gongju and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Gongju at $1,522. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gongju it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,522 in Gongju. 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, Gongju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.