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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,491 in Busan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $2,362 in Busan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $3,234 in Busan.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 17% less than in Busan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 8% below, Busan is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$7.32 ₩10.9K

-36.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$36.93 ₩54.8K

26.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$6.00 ₩8,905

47.33%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$4.08 ₩6,057

-26.47%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$1.82 ₩2,706

-59.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$1.33 ₩1,968

-72.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$3.70 ₩5,491

-34.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$5.79 ₩8,584

-37.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$2.24 ₩3,320

0.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$3.50 ₩5,191

-47.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$2.96 ₩4,394

-24.32%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.97 ₩4,407

-21.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$10.31 ₩15.3K

90.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$8.45 ₩12.5K

-56.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$28.07 ₩41.6K

-53.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$8.29 ₩12.3K

-59.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$3.24 ₩4,800

-49.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$7.28 ₩10.8K

-66.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$5.20 ₩7,711

-60.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$5.05 ₩7,492

-69.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$3.03 ₩4,498

-50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$2.02 ₩3,003

-49.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$1.15 ₩1,711

-57.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.29 ₩4,879

35.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$16.69 ₩24.8K

13.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.69 ₩2,514

5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$3.49 ₩5,178

-21.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.11 ₩1,650

26.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$43.63 ₩64.7K

-73.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$3.45 ₩5,121

-9.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.79 ₩1,169

26.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$16.60 ₩24.6K

-15.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.17 ₩1,739

15.38%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$27.5K ₩40.7M

-1.00%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$24.7K ₩36.6M

33.53%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$187 ₩277.1K

-33.09%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$49.90 ₩74.0K

-72.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$27.20 ₩40.3K

-31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$52.5 ₩77.9K

17.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$13.38 ₩19.9K

25.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$11.52 ₩17.1K

-20.23%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$496 ₩736.3K

40.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$13.9K ₩20.6M

12.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$103 ₩152.4K

-43.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$66.2 ₩98.2K

-46.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$89.1 ₩132.1K

26.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$119 ₩176.1K

-27.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$516 ₩766.1K

19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$313 ₩465.0K

42.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,022 ₩1.5M

100.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$670 ₩993.4K

122.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$9,547 ₩14.2M

-60.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$7,094 ₩10.5M

-62.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$2,452 ₩3.6M

-78.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.22

26.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Busan: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $516 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 368% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $37.00 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $446, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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 21% 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, Busan earns 368% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $516 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 280% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $496 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,491 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 work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,232 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Busan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.