Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jecheon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,535 in Jecheon, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Jecheon despite lower rent and utilities.

Jecheon, South Korea
Phuket, Thailand
Jecheon
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,535
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,535 per month in Jecheon vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Jecheon $1,535
  • Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,543 per month in Jecheon vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Jecheon $2,543
  • Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,551 per month in Jecheon vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Jecheon $3,551
  • Phuket $3,115

Jecheon costs about 19% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jecheon sits 14% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.27 ₩9,735
$4.39 ฿148
65.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.66 ₩65.2K
$32.31 ฿1,086
50.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.76 ₩9,046
$8.70 ฿293
-22.30%
Cappuccino
$3.56 ₩4,760
$2.72 ฿91.6
30.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ₩2,396
$0.93 ฿31.28
92.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 ₩1,864
$0.50 ฿16.79
178.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.64 ₩4,873
$2.53 ฿85.1
43.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.17 ₩5,586
$3.63 ฿122
14.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.34 ₩3,129
$1.74 ฿58.5
34.48%
White Bread (500g)
$3.25 ₩4,351
$1.45 ฿48.77
124.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.19 ₩4,272
$1.50 ฿50.5
112.67%
Eggs
$2.67 ₩3,570
$2.17 ฿73.0
23.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.80 ₩14.5K
$19.09 ฿642
-43.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.20 ₩13.7K
$3.40 ฿114
200.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.63 ₩33.0K
$10.90 ฿366
125.96%
Apples (1kg)
$11.10 ₩14.9K
$2.94 ฿98.9
277.55%
Banana (1kg)
$3.52 ₩4,708
$1.69 ฿56.9
108.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$8.21 ₩11.0K
$2.19 ฿73.8
274.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.81 ₩7,773
$2.12 ฿71.4
174.06%
Potato (1kg)
$5.89 ₩7,890
$1.46 ฿49.03
303.42%
Onion (1kg)
$3.21 ₩4,304
$1.37 ฿45.99
134.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.72 ₩3,648
$1.08 ฿36.17
151.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 ₩1,703
$0.55 ฿18.34
130.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 ₩4,514
$4.43 ฿149
-23.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.44 ₩24.7K
$18.25 ฿614
1.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 ₩3,151
$1.77 ฿59.6
32.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.55 ₩4,754
$2.88 ฿96.8
23.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 ₩1,577
$1.45 ฿48.66
-18.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.9 ฿1,845
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.67 ₩4,909
$1.51 ฿50.9
143.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 ₩827
$0.78 ฿26.08
-20.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.58 ₩19.5K
$3.84 ฿129
279.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 ₩1,885
$1.49 ฿50.0
-5.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K ₩51.5M
$26.9K ฿903.7K
43.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K ₩44.6M
$26.3K ฿885.7K
26.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 ₩269.6K
$97.8 ฿3,288
105.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.30 ₩48.6K
$11.29 ฿380
221.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.24 ₩36.5K
$17.19 ฿578
58.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.0 ₩76.3K
$68.3 ฿2,297
-16.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.69 ₩17.0K
$10.92 ฿367
16.21%
Cinema Ticket
$11.75 ₩15.7K
$7.43 ฿250
58.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$636 ₩851.0K
$530 ฿17.8K
19.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K ₩29.4M
$18.8K ฿631.4K
16.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$105 ₩140.0K
$61.7 ฿2,073
69.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.8 ₩86.7K
$28.25 ฿950
129.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 ₩122.2K
$96.0 ฿3,228
-4.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 ₩168.3K
$86.8 ฿2,919
44.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$440 ₩588.9K
$721 ฿24.2K
-39.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$363 ₩485.7K
$509 ฿17.1K
-28.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 ₩1.7M
$1,950 ฿65.6K
-35.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$980 ₩1.3M
$1,397 ฿47.0K
-29.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,852 ₩9.2M
$4,192 ฿140.9K
63.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,151 ₩6.9M
$3,298 ฿110.9K
56.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jecheon
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,465 ₩2.0M
$492 ฿16.5K
198.03%
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 Jecheon: 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
Jecheon
$481
Phuket
$267 44.5% $214
Accommodation & Living
Jecheon
$363
Phuket
$509 40.3% $146
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jecheon
$265
Phuket
$126 52.3% $139
Clothing & Footwear
Jecheon
$174
Phuket
$123 29.4% $51
Eating Out
Jecheon
$160
Phuket
$120 25.5% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Jecheon
$80
Phuket
$83 3.4% $2.7
Getting Around
Jecheon
$11 *
Phuket
$66 476% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $440 in Jecheon 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 Jecheon are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Jecheon versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $481 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Jecheon
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
13:58 1:58 PM
11:58 11:58 AM
2 h behind Jecheon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
136,432
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,507 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jecheon Phuket 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jecheon
  • 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
Jecheon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Jecheon and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,535 in Jecheon, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Jecheon compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,302 per month in Jecheon and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Jecheon and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Jecheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $440 there versus $721 in Phuket.
Which city is more expensive overall: Jecheon or Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,535 in Jecheon and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 16% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Jecheon and Phuket?
Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Jecheon and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Jecheon at $1,535. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jecheon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Jecheon and Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,535 in Jecheon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Jecheon or Phuket safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Jecheon and Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jecheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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