Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mokpo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,406 in Mokpo, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Mokpo despite lower rent and utilities.

Mokpo, South Korea
Phuket, Thailand
Mokpo
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,406
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Mokpo vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Mokpo $1,406
  • Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,304 per month in Mokpo vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Mokpo $2,304
  • Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $3,202 per month in Mokpo vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Mokpo $3,202
  • Phuket $3,115

Mokpo costs about 9% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.40 ₩9,960
$4.39 ฿148
68.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.40 ₩50.3K
$32.31 ฿1,090
15.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.67 ₩8,979
$8.70 ฿294
-23.33%
Cappuccino
$3.55 ₩4,781
$2.72 ฿91.9
30.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ₩2,130
$0.93 ฿31.39
69.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₩922
$0.50 ฿16.85
38.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.38 ₩4,549
$2.53 ฿85.4
33.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.16 ₩5,600
$3.63 ฿122
14.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ₩2,885
$1.74 ฿58.7
22.99%
White Bread (500g)
$3.15 ₩4,236
$1.45 ฿48.95
117.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.73 ₩3,678
$1.50 ฿50.7
82.00%
Eggs
$2.62 ₩3,529
$2.17 ฿73.3
20.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₩14.2K
$19.09 ฿644
-44.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.58 ₩14.2K
$3.40 ฿115
211.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.61 ₩29.1K
$10.90 ฿368
98.26%
Apples (1kg)
$7.48 ₩10.1K
$2.94 ฿99.2
154.42%
Banana (1kg)
$3.03 ₩4,072
$1.69 ฿57.1
79.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.30 ₩7,128
$2.19 ฿74.0
142.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.35 ₩7,192
$2.12 ฿71.7
152.36%
Potato (1kg)
$3.75 ₩5,047
$1.46 ฿49.21
156.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.71 ₩3,643
$1.37 ฿46.15
97.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.75 ₩3,704
$1.08 ฿36.30
154.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 ₩1,679
$0.55 ฿18.41
127.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.25 ₩4,369
$4.43 ฿149
-26.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.48 ₩18.1K
$18.25 ฿616
-26.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 ₩3,163
$1.77 ฿59.8
32.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ₩4,866
$2.88 ฿97.2
25.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 ₩1,343
$1.45 ฿48.84
-31.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.9 ฿1,852
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.09 ₩5,496
$1.51 ฿51.0
170.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.59 ₩795
$0.78 ฿26.18
-24.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.80 ₩13.2K
$3.84 ฿130
155.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 ₩1,903
$1.49 ฿50.2
-5.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.2K ₩40.7M
$26.9K ฿907.0K
12.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K ₩40.5M
$26.3K ฿888.9K
14.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$207 ₩278.1K
$97.8 ฿3,300
111.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.80 ₩48.2K
$11.29 ฿381
217.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.26 ₩30.0K
$17.19 ฿580
29.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.6 ₩68.1K
$68.3 ฿2,305
-25.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.38 ₩16.7K
$10.92 ฿368
13.37%
Cinema Ticket
$11.94 ₩16.1K
$7.43 ฿251
60.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$416 ₩560.0K
$530 ฿17.9K
-21.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K ₩30.5M
$18.8K ฿633.7K
20.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.6 ₩84.2K
$61.7 ฿2,081
1.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.0 ₩83.4K
$28.25 ฿953
119.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.6 ₩100.3K
$96.0 ฿3,239
-22.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 ₩147.1K
$86.8 ฿2,929
26.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$533 ₩716.8K
$721 ฿24.3K
-26.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$344 ₩463.4K
$509 ฿17.2K
-32.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,118 ₩1.5M
$1,950 ฿65.8K
-42.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$940 ₩1.3M
$1,397 ฿47.1K
-32.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,862 ₩9.2M
$4,192 ฿141.4K
63.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,612 ₩7.5M
$3,298 ฿111.3K
70.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mokpo
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$492 ฿16.6K
-
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 Mokpo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mokpo
$416
Phuket
$267 35.8% $149
Accommodation & Living
Mokpo
$344
Phuket
$509 47.7% $164
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mokpo
$265
Phuket
$126 52.3% $138
Eating Out
Mokpo
$156
Phuket
$120 23.5% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Mokpo
$139
Phuket
$123 11.6% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Mokpo
$74
Phuket
$83 11.7% $8.7
Getting Around
Mokpo
$11 *
Phuket
$66 499% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Mokpo 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 $37 in Mokpo versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Mokpo
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
23:03 11:03 PM
21:03 9:03 PM
2 h behind Mokpo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
237,739
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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mokpo Phuket 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mokpo
  • 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
Mokpo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Mokpo?
Yes – Mokpo is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,109 per month in Mokpo and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mokpo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $533 there versus $721 in Phuket.
What are total monthly expenses in Mokpo and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Mokpo and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 8% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $416 per month in Mokpo and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Mokpo or in Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,406 in Mokpo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Mokpo or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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