Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bucheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,447 in Bucheon, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Bucheon despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Bucheon
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Bucheon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bucheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bucheon

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 Bucheon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,447 in Bucheon, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Bucheon $1,447

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,518 in Bucheon, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Bucheon $2,518

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,588 in Bucheon, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Bucheon $3,588

Phuket is about 11% cheaper than Bucheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Bucheon is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$8.70 ₩11.7K

-49.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$69.0 ₩92.7K

-53.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.27 ₩9,763

19.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.90 ₩5,238

-30.26%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.62 ₩2,180

-42.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.81 ₩1,083

-38.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.64 ₩4,888

-30.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$6.04 ₩8,110

-39.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.00 ₩2,682

-13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$3.11 ₩4,180

-53.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.34 ₩5,830

-65.44%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.50 ₩4,707

-38.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$18.20 ₩24.5K

4.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.52 ₩14.1K

-67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$25.54 ₩34.3K

-57.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$7.48 ₩10.1K

-60.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.40 ₩4,567

-50.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$5.73 ₩7,702

-61.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$6.18 ₩8,308

-65.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$3.56 ₩4,782

-58.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$2.46 ₩3,312

-44.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$2.86 ₩3,840

-62.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.14 ₩1,525

-51.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.31 ₩4,446

33.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$18.44 ₩24.8K

-1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.37 ₩3,186

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.25 ₩4,371

-11.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.17 ₩1,577

23.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.54 ₩4,751

-57.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.56 ₩759

39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$9.18 ₩12.3K

-58.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.42 ₩1,914

4.93%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$28.8K ₩38.7M

-6.68%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$27.9K ₩37.5M

-5.63%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$211 ₩283.6K

-53.65%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$34.71 ₩46.6K

-67.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$21.13 ₩28.4K

-18.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$46.49 ₩62.5K

46.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$13.77 ₩18.5K

-20.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$11.25 ₩15.1K

-33.96%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$452 ₩607.4K

17.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$26.3K ₩35.4M

-28.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$62.1 ₩83.4K

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$33.06 ₩44.4K

-14.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$69.0 ₩92.8K

39.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$81.2 ₩109.2K

6.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$482 ₩647.8K

49.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$338 ₩454.4K

50.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,430 ₩1.9M

36.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,063 ₩1.4M

31.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$6,581 ₩8.8M

-36.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$5,481 ₩7.4M

-39.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,477 ₩2.0M

-66.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.08

36.52%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bucheon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bucheon

$338 23.4% 33.6% $171

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bucheon

$474 32.7% 77.5% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bucheon

$267 18.4% 111% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bucheon

$110 7.6% 10% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bucheon

$178 12.3% 49% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bucheon

$69 4.8% 17% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bucheon

$11 * 0.8% 83.3% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $482 in Bucheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bucheon are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $69 in Bucheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $474 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Bucheon

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

848,191

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.44 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bucheon 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bucheon

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 Bucheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,447 in Bucheon – Phuket comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,171 in Bucheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,447 in Bucheon. That makes Phuket about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $452 in Bucheon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,447 in Bucheon. 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.

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