Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangyo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,460 in Pangyo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. The total is higher in Pangyo despite lower rent and utilities.

72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
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Pangyo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,460

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,460 per month in Pangyo vs $1,190 in Phuket, rent included.

Pangyo $1,460
Phuket $1,190

A couple spends around $2,303 per month in Pangyo vs $2,006 in Phuket, rent included.

Pangyo $2,303
Phuket $2,006

A family of three spends $3,145 per month in Pangyo vs $2,822 in Phuket, rent included.

Pangyo $3,145
Phuket $2,822

Pangyo costs about 23% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pangyo sits 9% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 ₩9,612

$4.35 ฿146

64.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.05 ₩40.3K

$32.45 ฿1,087

-7.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 ₩8,768

$8.42 ฿282

-22.33%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,394

$2.81 ฿94.0

43.42%

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

$1.51 ₩2,023

$0.87 ฿29.29

73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₩953

$0.46 ฿15.39

54.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 ₩3,973

$2.59 ฿86.6

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 ₩5,335

$3.64 ฿122

9.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₩3,084

$1.71 ฿57.2

34.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₩4,274

$1.45 ฿48.42

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ₩3,674

$1.56 ฿52.3

75.64%

Eggs

$2.69 ₩3,607

$2.10 ฿70.3

28.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.6K

$19.53 ฿654

-44.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.6K

$3.40 ฿114

132.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.43 ₩28.7K

$11.14 ฿373

92.37%

Apples (1kg)

$7.68 ₩10.3K

$2.83 ฿94.8

171.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,847

$1.62 ฿54.3

123.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.50 ₩10.1K

$2.22 ฿74.5

237.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,182

$2.15 ฿71.9

184.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,848

$1.49 ฿49.95

142.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₩3,587

$1.33 ฿44.40

101.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,732

$1.07 ฿35.72

159.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,715

$0.51 ฿17.01

150.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,624

$4.38 ฿147

-21.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 ₩25.3K

$18.77 ฿629

0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,071

$1.74 ฿58.3

31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₩4,639

$2.78 ฿92.9

24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,476

$2.17 ฿72.6

-49.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.53 ₩63.7K

$22.28 ฿746

113.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 ₩4,504

$3.02 ฿101

11.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩882

$1.06 ฿35.43

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.05 ₩17.5K

$3.71 ฿124

251.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,887

$1.43 ฿47.88

-1.40%

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

$30.8K ₩41.2M

$26.3K ฿882.1K

16.73%

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

$38.4K ₩51.4M

$26.2K ฿877.3K

46.53%

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

$199 ₩266.8K

$96.7 ฿3,236

106.00%

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

$36.74 ₩49.2K

$11.41 ฿382

222.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.15 ₩29.7K

$17.11 ฿573

29.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 ₩68.6K

$52.8 ฿1,768

-3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.91 ₩16.0K

$11.07 ฿371

7.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 ₩14.9K

$7.65 ฿256

45.49%

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

$526 ₩704.4K

$555 ฿18.6K

-5.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K ₩29.0M

$11.3K ฿377.7K

92.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₩88.0K

$63.4 ฿2,123

3.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 ₩85.9K

$28.61 ฿958

124.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 ₩99.8K

$96.7 ฿3,238

-22.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₩135.3K

$88.6 ฿2,967

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩641.1K

$735 ฿24.6K

-34.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩483.8K

$458 ฿15.3K

-21.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 ₩1.6M

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-43.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 ₩985.5K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-38.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,053 ₩9.5M

$3,493 ฿116.9K

101.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,546 ₩7.4M

$2,491 ฿83.4K

122.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,262 ₩7.1M

$501 ฿16.8K

950.38%

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 Pangyo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pangyo

$433 29.3%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 38% $165

Accommodation & Living

Pangyo

$361 24.4%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 26.9% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pangyo

$258 17.5%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 51.5% $133

Eating Out

Pangyo

$157 10.6%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 24% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Pangyo

$137 9.3%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 9.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Pangyo

$73 5%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 7.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Pangyo

$59 4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 33% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Pangyo versus $735 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 run about 950% higher in Pangyo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Pangyo versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $433 in Pangyo vs $268 in Phuket – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

12:08 12:08 PM

2 h behind Pangyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pangyo Phuket 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pangyo
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

Pangyo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pangyo is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,191 per month in Pangyo and $1,785 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 113% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $526 per month in Pangyo and $555 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Pangyo at $1,460. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pangyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pangyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.