Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Busan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,842 in Busan.

Phuket $1,278
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,019 in Busan.

Phuket $2,216
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,196 in Busan.

Phuket $3,154
Busan $4,196

Living in Phuket costs roughly 31% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Busan is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-41.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$49.41 ₩66.3K

-34.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.63 ₩8,907

32.88%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.68 ₩4,941

-23.10%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.86 ₩2,494

-53.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.39 ₩1,872

-64.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.73 ₩5,014

-31.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.41 ₩5,920

-16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.26 ₩3,033

-26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.25 ₩4,365

-55.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.11 ₩4,173

-51.77%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.67 ₩3,583

-21.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.14 ₩15.0K

71.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.70 ₩14.4K

-69.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.98 ₩33.5K

-56.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-73.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.59 ₩4,822

-52.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-72.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.11 ₩8,199

-65.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$6.20 ₩8,324

-75.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$3.33 ₩4,466

-58.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.88 ₩3,870

-62.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.29 ₩1,732

-59.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.46 ₩4,643

21.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.56 ₩24.9K

1.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.42 ₩3,248

-24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.59 ₩4,826

-20.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.15 ₩1,538

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$70.6 ₩94.7K

-19.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.55 ₩4,769

-14.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.73 ₩986

39.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.97 ₩22.8K

-78.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.42 ₩1,903

3.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$39.9K ₩53.6M

-32.96%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$33.9K ₩45.6M

-21.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$206 ₩276.2K

-53.16%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$36.67 ₩49.2K

-69.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$27.39 ₩36.8K

-38.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$51.6 ₩69.3K

30.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.15 ₩13.6K

5.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-36.87%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$638 ₩857.0K

-25.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$22.3K ₩29.9M

-49.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$104 ₩140.1K

-40.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$65.1 ₩87.4K

-56.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$92.8 ₩124.6K

1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$130 ₩174.6K

-34.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$746 ₩1.0M

-4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$583 ₩782.5K

-15.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-10.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-1.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-50.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,272 ₩4.4M

-6.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-82.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.22

31.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Busan

$583 31.6% 18.7% $92

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Busan

$489 26.6% 83.8% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Busan

$270 14.7% 117% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Busan

$177 9.6% 44.8% $55

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Busan

$166 9% 36.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Busan

$75 4.1% 8.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Busan

$82 4.5% 16.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $489 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Busan 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Busan

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 Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Busan. 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 82% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 20% less than in Busan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $638 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,842 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.