Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Andong

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,415 in Andong, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Andong despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Andong
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Andong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Andong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Andong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Andong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,415 in Andong.

Phuket $1,294
Andong $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,294 in Andong.

Phuket $2,204
Andong $2,294

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,172 in Andong.

Phuket $3,115
Andong $3,172

Living in Phuket costs roughly 9% less than in Andong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Andong is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.11 ₩8,225

-28.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$34.73 ₩46.7K

-6.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.66 ₩8,961

30.63%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.62 ₩4,872

-24.86%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.59 ₩2,143

-41.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.62 ₩829

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.55 ₩4,772

-28.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.35 ₩5,858

-16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.17 ₩2,922

-19.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$3.11 ₩4,187

-53.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.64 ₩3,553

-43.18%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.34 ₩4,488

-35.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$15.35 ₩20.6K

24.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.55 ₩14.2K

-67.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$11.31 ₩15.2K

-3.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$6.79 ₩9,129

-56.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.41 ₩3,248

-29.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$4.38 ₩5,895

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$7.08 ₩9,521

-70.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$3.26 ₩4,388

-55.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.65 ₩3,559

-48.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$2.02 ₩2,723

-46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.26 ₩1,701

-56.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.43 ₩4,609

29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$13.87 ₩18.7K

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.01 ₩2,710

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$4.05 ₩5,451

-28.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.14 ₩1,533

27.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.05 ₩4,109

-50.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.61 ₩817

27.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$7.64 ₩10.3K

-49.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.40 ₩1,884

6.43%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$28.9K ₩38.8M

-6.90%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$35.4K ₩47.6M

-25.52%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$208 ₩279.4K

-52.91%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$42.50 ₩57.2K

-73.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$20.79 ₩28.0K

-17.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$45.85 ₩61.7K

49.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$14.48 ₩19.5K

-24.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$11.01 ₩14.8K

-32.52%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$298 ₩401.0K

77.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$17.8K ₩24.0M

5.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$63.8 ₩85.8K

-3.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$62.2 ₩83.7K

-54.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$73.9 ₩99.5K

29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$97.1 ₩130.6K

-10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$476 ₩641.0K

51.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$389 ₩523.4K

30.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,172 ₩1.6M

66.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,010 ₩1.4M

38.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$6,153 ₩8.3M

-31.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$4,922 ₩6.6M

-32.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,826 ₩2.5M

-73.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.1

35.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Andong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Andong

$389 27.5% 23.5% $120

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Andong

$395 27.9% 48% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Andong

$271 19.2% 115% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Andong

$134 9.5% 8.9% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Andong

$148 10.4% 23.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Andong

$68 4.8% 18.4% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Andong

$11 * 0.8% 83.9% $55

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 $721 in Phuket and $476 in Andong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Andong pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Andong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $395 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Andong

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

166,274

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 1,504 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Andong 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Andong

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

Phuket vs Andong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Andong. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $476 in Andong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $298 in Andong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Andong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Phuket and Andong are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Andong on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.