Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iksan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,459 in Iksan, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Iksan
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Iksan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Iksan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,459

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,459 per month in Iksan vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Iksan $1,459
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,291 per month in Iksan vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Iksan $2,291
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,124 per month in Iksan vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Iksan $3,124
Phuket $3,115

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

Iksan sits 8% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 ₩7,884

$4.39 ฿147

33.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.96 ₩47.0K

$32.31 ฿1,078

8.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 ₩8,773

$8.70 ฿290

-24.94%

Cappuccino

$3.66 ₩4,919

$2.72 ฿90.9

34.56%

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

$1.60 ₩2,155

$0.93 ฿31.06

72.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₩833

$0.50 ฿16.67

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 ₩4,670

$2.53 ฿84.5

37.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,830

$3.63 ฿121

19.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₩2,934

$1.74 ฿58.1

25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,102

$1.45 ฿48.42

110.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 ₩3,427

$1.50 ฿50.1

70.00%

Eggs

$3.26 ₩4,384

$2.17 ฿72.5

50.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.59 ₩20.9K

$19.09 ฿637

-18.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₩13.9K

$3.40 ฿113

203.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.98 ₩14.8K

$10.90 ฿364

0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.03 ₩9,445

$2.94 ฿98.2

139.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ₩3,270

$1.69 ฿56.5

43.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₩5,875

$2.19 ฿73.2

99.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.01 ₩9,418

$2.12 ฿70.9

230.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ₩4,423

$1.46 ฿48.68

125.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ₩3,529

$1.37 ฿45.66

91.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 ₩2,702

$1.08 ฿35.91

86.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,729

$0.55 ฿18.21

134.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,451

$4.43 ฿148

-25.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 ₩18.7K

$18.25 ฿609

-23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₩3,414

$1.77 ฿59.2

43.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 ₩5,437

$2.88 ฿96.2

40.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₩1,293

$1.45 ฿48.32

-33.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 ₩4,778

$1.51 ฿50.5

135.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩863

$0.78 ฿25.90

-17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.65 ₩13.0K

$3.84 ฿128

151.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,822

$1.49 ฿49.65

-8.72%

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

$29.1K ₩39.1M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

8.20%

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

$35.9K ₩48.3M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

36.36%

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

$207 ₩277.8K

$97.8 ฿3,265

111.33%

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

$44.04 ₩59.2K

$11.29 ฿377

290.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 ₩28.4K

$17.19 ฿574

22.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 ₩69.8K

$68.3 ฿2,281

-24.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.17 ₩16.4K

$10.92 ฿365

11.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ₩14.7K

$7.43 ฿248

47.38%

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

$296 ₩397.7K

$530 ฿17.7K

-44.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ₩23.9M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-5.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 ₩88.0K

$61.7 ฿2,059

6.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.6 ₩85.5K

$28.25 ฿943

125.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ₩99.9K

$96.0 ฿3,204

-22.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 ₩133.7K

$86.8 ฿2,898

14.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 ₩678.1K

$721 ฿24.1K

-30.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₩570.2K

$509 ฿17.0K

-16.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 ₩1.9M

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-28.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 ₩1.3M

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-32.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,992 ₩8.1M

$4,192 ฿139.9K

42.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,683 ₩6.3M

$3,298 ฿110.1K

41.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,690 ₩2.3M

$492 ฿16.4K

243.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

5.57

-26.39%

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

Last update for Iksan: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iksan

$424 29.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 19.9% $85

Groceries & Markets

Iksan

$396 27.2%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 32.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iksan

$272 18.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 53.5% $146

Eating Out

Iksan

$145 10%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 17.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Iksan

$136 9.3%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 10% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Iksan

$74 5.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 12.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Iksan

$11 * 0.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 523% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $505 in Iksan 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 Iksan are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Iksan versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Iksan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

2 h behind Iksan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,000

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,508 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iksan Phuket 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Iksan
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

Iksan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iksan 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 $2,188 per month in Iksan 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 Iksan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Iksan and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Iksan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,459 in Iksan. 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, Iksan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.