Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinju and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,454 in Jinju, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Jinju despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
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Jinju Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,454

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,454 per month in Jinju vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Jinju $1,454
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,506 per month in Jinju vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Jinju $2,506
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jinju vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Jinju $3,557
Phuket $3,115

Jinju costs about 12% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.03 ₩12.1K

$4.39 ฿147

105.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 ₩93.1K

$32.31 ฿1,078

114.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$8.70 ฿290

-13.33%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,412

$2.72 ฿90.9

48.16%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$0.93 ฿31.06

75.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₩987

$0.50 ฿16.67

46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.62 ₩4,864

$2.53 ฿84.5

43.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 ₩7,847

$3.63 ฿121

60.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,830

$1.74 ฿58.1

21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 ₩4,029

$1.45 ฿48.42

106.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 ₩5,720

$1.50 ฿50.1

184.00%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,762

$2.17 ฿72.5

63.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.09 ₩24.3K

$19.09 ฿637

-5.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 ₩14.1K

$3.40 ฿113

207.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.27 ₩35.3K

$10.90 ฿364

141.01%

Apples (1kg)

$7.68 ₩10.3K

$2.94 ฿98.2

161.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,608

$1.69 ฿56.5

102.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,770

$2.19 ฿73.2

163.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,327

$2.12 ฿70.9

192.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,756

$1.46 ฿48.68

142.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₩3,484

$1.37 ฿45.66

89.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 ₩3,779

$1.08 ฿35.91

160.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₩1,476

$0.55 ฿18.21

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,576

$4.43 ฿148

-23.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 ₩24.8K

$18.25 ฿609

1.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,204

$1.77 ฿59.2

34.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 ₩4,419

$2.88 ฿96.2

14.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,514

$1.45 ฿48.32

-22.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ₩4,706

$1.51 ฿50.5

131.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₩768

$0.78 ฿25.90

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 ₩11.9K

$3.84 ฿128

131.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,016

$1.49 ฿49.65

0.67%

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

$29.6K ₩39.7M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

9.99%

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

$27.7K ₩37.3M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

5.33%

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

$211 ₩282.9K

$97.8 ฿3,265

115.24%

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

$34.77 ₩46.7K

$11.29 ฿377

207.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.12 ₩28.4K

$17.19 ฿574

22.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 ₩74.4K

$68.3 ฿2,281

-18.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.76 ₩21.2K

$10.92 ฿365

44.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 ₩15.0K

$7.43 ฿248

50.34%

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

$451 ₩606.6K

$530 ฿17.7K

-14.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.1K ₩35.0M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

38.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₩83.1K

$61.7 ฿2,059

0.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.27 ₩44.7K

$28.25 ฿943

17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₩93.4K

$96.0 ฿3,204

-27.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 ₩107.6K

$86.8 ฿2,898

-7.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₩720.5K

$721 ฿24.1K

-25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₩443.4K

$509 ฿17.0K

-35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ₩1.6M

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-37.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 ₩1.3M

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-28.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,214 ₩8.3M

$4,192 ฿139.9K

48.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,832 ₩6.5M

$3,298 ฿110.1K

46.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.57

-26.75%

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

Last update for Jinju: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinju

$476 32.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 44% $210

Accommodation & Living

Jinju

$330 22.7%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 54.2% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinju

$266 18.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 52.6% $140

Eating Out

Jinju

$182 12.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 34.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Jinju

$110 7.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Jinju

$78 5.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 7% $5.4

Getting Around

Jinju

$11 * 0.8%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 508% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Jinju 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Jinju versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jinju

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

12:06 12:06 PM

2 h behind Jinju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,548

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 6, 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 6, 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

Jinju Phuket 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jinju
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

Jinju vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Jinju is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,181 per month in Jinju 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 Jinju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $536 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Jinju and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 79% more in Jinju, 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 $1,454 in Jinju. 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.