Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeonju and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeonju: $1,149 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Jeonju
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Jeonju Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Jeonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,149

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,149 in Jeonju versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Jeonju $1,149
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,796 in Jeonju versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Jeonju $1,796
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,443 in Jeonju versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Jeonju $2,443
Phuket $3,154

Living in Jeonju costs roughly 10% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jeonju 16% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 ₩9,930

$4.47 ฿151

67.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.90 ₩30.4K

$32.41 ฿1,094

-29.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 ₩7,201

$8.81 ฿297

-38.37%

Cappuccino

$3.81 ₩5,052

$2.83 ฿95.5

34.63%

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

$1.12 ₩1,485

$0.87 ฿29.43

28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₩814

$0.49 ฿16.67

24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 ₩3,781

$2.56 ฿86.4

11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 ₩5,524

$3.68 ฿124

13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ₩2,851

$1.66 ฿56.0

29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 ₩3,058

$1.46 ฿49.35

57.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ₩4,136

$1.50 ฿50.6

108.00%

Eggs

$2.30 ₩3,054

$2.09 ฿70.5

10.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 ₩14.6K

$19.07 ฿644

-42.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.53 ₩14.0K

$3.30 ฿111

219.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.57 ₩33.9K

$10.91 ฿368

134.37%

Apples (1kg)

$11.45 ₩15.2K

$2.93 ฿99.0

290.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 ₩4,419

$1.69 ฿57.1

97.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.37 ₩11.1K

$2.25 ฿75.8

272.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 ₩6,123

$2.08 ฿70.1

121.63%

Potato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,220

$1.51 ฿51.0

310.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 ₩3,039

$1.38 ฿46.56

65.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 ₩3,861

$1.07 ฿35.99

171.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₩1,019

$0.52 ฿17.52

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 ₩4,607

$4.20 ฿142

-17.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 ₩25.0K

$18.79 ฿634

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₩1,974

$1.82 ฿61.5

-18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 ₩4,654

$2.84 ฿95.9

23.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₩1,615

$1.45 ฿49.03

-15.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ₩4,407

$3.02 ฿102

9.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₩1,010

$1.02 ฿34.36

-25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.74 ₩22.2K

$3.69 ฿125

353.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ₩1,612

$1.47 ฿49.81

-17.69%

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

$39.1K ₩51.9M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

45.99%

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

$34.6K ₩46.0M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

29.76%

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

$72.0 ₩95.5K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-25.27%

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

$30.65 ₩40.7K

$11.26 ฿380

172.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 ₩36.5K

$16.85 ฿569

63.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ₩15.9K

$7.50 ฿253

59.73%

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

$638 ₩846.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

34.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.2M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

95.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩138.7K

$62.4 ฿2,106

67.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ₩86.1K

$28.41 ฿959

128.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.53 ₩59.1K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-52.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.95 ₩50.4K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-55.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₩352.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-62.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ₩344.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

-47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₩609.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-67.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,295 ₩3.0M

$502 ฿17.0K

357.01%

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 Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jeonju

$458 39.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 41.9% $192

Accommodation & Living

Jeonju

$259 22.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 89.2% $231

Eating Out

Jeonju

$151 13.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeonju

$130 11.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 4.4% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Jeonju

$113 9.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.5% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Jeonju

$24 * 2.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 243% $58

Getting Around

Jeonju

$12 * 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 488% $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 $266 in Jeonju and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeonju pays about 4.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Jeonju vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jeonju

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

2 h behind Jeonju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

653,387

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 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 = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jeonju Phuket 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeonju
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

Jeonju vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeonju is cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Jeonju is about 4.6 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: $266 in Jeonju versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $638 in Jeonju versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jeonju – a meal for two runs $23 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Jeonju gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Jeonju and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.