CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Busan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Busan

๐Ÿ™‚ Solo nomad: Phuket is 31.2% cheaper than Busan without rent, and 18.2% cheaper with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Phuket is 28.4% cheaper than Busan without rent, and 6.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Phuket
Busan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.51 เธฟ142
$7.06 โ‚ฉ10.4K
-36.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.08 เธฟ1,449
$37.43 โ‚ฉ55.1K
23.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.78 เธฟ276
$6.07 โ‚ฉ8,942
44.65%
Cappuccino
$3.09 เธฟ97.0
$4.16 โ‚ฉ6,122
-25.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 เธฟ21.97
$1.81 โ‚ฉ2,669
-61.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 เธฟ12.46
$1.34 โ‚ฉ1,970
-70.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.40 เธฟ75.5
$3.63 โ‚ฉ5,343
-33.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 เธฟ116
$5.79 โ‚ฉ8,524
-36.44%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Busan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 เธฟ70.6
$2.35 โ‚ฉ3,457
-4.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 เธฟ58.8
$3.43 โ‚ฉ5,050
-45.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 เธฟ69.8
$3.12 โ‚ฉ4,599
-28.85%
Eggs
$2.23 เธฟ70.1
$2.99 โ‚ฉ4,398
-25.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.68 เธฟ619
$10.65 โ‚ฉ15.7K
84.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.66 เธฟ115
$8.08 โ‚ฉ11.9K
-54.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.09 เธฟ411
$27.67 โ‚ฉ40.8K
-52.69%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 เธฟ106
$8.66 โ‚ฉ12.8K
-60.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 เธฟ53.3
$3.14 โ‚ฉ4,620
-46.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 เธฟ73.2
$7.57 โ‚ฉ11.2K
-69.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 เธฟ62.4
$5.41 โ‚ฉ7,973
-63.40%
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 เธฟ48.77
$5.06 โ‚ฉ7,456
-69.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 เธฟ47.42
$3.05 โ‚ฉ4,490
-50.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 เธฟ30.84
$2.04 โ‚ฉ3,012
-51.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 เธฟ15.01
$1.17 โ‚ฉ1,717
-58.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.35 เธฟ137
$3.23 โ‚ฉ4,760
34.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.65 เธฟ649
$16.85 โ‚ฉ24.8K
22.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 เธฟ55.8
$1.73 โ‚ฉ2,552
2.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 เธฟ86.6
$3.35 โ‚ฉ4,928
-17.91%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Phuket
Busan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 เธฟ43.19
$1.12 โ‚ฉ1,656
22.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.36 เธฟ357
$43.54 โ‚ฉ64.1K
-73.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 เธฟ97.8
$3.43 โ‚ฉ5,045
-9.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 เธฟ32.96
$0.80 โ‚ฉ1,185
31.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.72 เธฟ431
$16.81 โ‚ฉ24.8K
-18.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 เธฟ42.16
$1.17 โ‚ฉ1,716
14.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K เธฟ869.6K
$27.3K โ‚ฉ40.1M
1.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K เธฟ1.1M
$25.2K โ‚ฉ37.1M
33.51%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Busan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 เธฟ3,835
$187 โ‚ฉ276.0K
-34.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.61 เธฟ428
$50.8 โ‚ฉ74.8K
-73.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.49 เธฟ581
$27.78 โ‚ฉ40.9K
-33.44%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Busan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.7 เธฟ1,939
$52.4 โ‚ฉ77.1K
17.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.70 เธฟ525
$13.20 โ‚ฉ19.4K
26.52%
Cinema Ticket
$9.09 เธฟ286
$11.58 โ‚ฉ17.1K
-21.50%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Phuket
Busan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$702 เธฟ22.1K
$481 โ‚ฉ708.3K
46.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K เธฟ502.8K
$14.0K โ‚ฉ20.6M
14.08%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Busan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 เธฟ1,851
$103 โ‚ฉ151.7K
-42.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.41 เธฟ1,082
$66.7 โ‚ฉ98.3K
-48.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 เธฟ3,545
$88.3 โ‚ฉ130.0K
27.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 เธฟ2,662
$116 โ‚ฉ171.1K
-27.13%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Busan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$606 เธฟ19.1K
$517 โ‚ฉ761.0K
17.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$435 เธฟ13.7K
$315 โ‚ฉ463.6K
38.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,069 เธฟ65.0K
$1,024 โ‚ฉ1.5M
102.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,473 เธฟ46.3K
$667 โ‚ฉ982.1K
120.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,445 เธฟ139.8K
$8,849 โ‚ฉ13.0M
-49.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 เธฟ93.9K
$7,203 โ‚ฉ10.6M
-58.52%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Busan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$547 เธฟ17.2K
$2,355 โ‚ฉ3.5M
-76.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
4.22
26.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: January 13, 2026

Last update for Busan: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.