Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Changwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,529 in Changwon, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Changwon despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
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Changwon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Changwon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,529 in Changwon.

Phuket $1,278
Changwon $1,529

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,381 in Changwon.

Phuket $2,216
Changwon $2,381

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,233 in Changwon.

Phuket $3,154
Changwon $3,233

Living in Phuket costs roughly 16% less than in Changwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Changwon is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.34 ₩9,806

-39.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$27.81 ₩37.1K

16.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.34 ₩7,126

64.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.78 ₩5,050

-25.13%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.87 ₩2,499

-53.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.01 ₩1,351

-51.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.02 ₩4,027

-15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.37 ₩5,836

-15.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.35 ₩3,143

-29.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.24 ₩4,332

-54.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.20 ₩4,278

-53.13%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.63 ₩3,517

-20.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.08 ₩14.8K

72.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.52 ₩14.1K

-68.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$25.38 ₩33.9K

-57.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$11.39 ₩15.2K

-74.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.73 ₩4,980

-54.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.96 ₩10.6K

-71.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.86 ₩7,829

-64.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$5.95 ₩7,945

-74.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$3.38 ₩4,509

-59.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.85 ₩3,809

-62.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.32 ₩1,768

-60.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.37 ₩4,494

24.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.88 ₩25.2K

-0.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.47 ₩3,298

-26.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.38 ₩4,513

-15.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.16 ₩1,549

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.98 ₩3,985

1.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.78 ₩1,046

30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.79 ₩22.4K

-78.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.36 ₩1,819

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$39.0K ₩52.1M

-31.37%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$33.9K ₩45.3M

-21.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$200 ₩266.8K

-51.78%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$36.15 ₩48.3K

-68.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.46 ₩36.7K

-38.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$53.3 ₩71.2K

26.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.13 ₩18.9K

-24.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.29 ₩15.1K

-33.57%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$646 ₩862.1K

-26.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$21.5K ₩28.7M

-47.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$104 ₩139.5K

-40.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$65.5 ₩87.5K

-56.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$92.3 ₩123.3K

2.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$129 ₩171.6K

-33.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$484 ₩646.1K

47.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$356 ₩475.3K

37.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,160 ₩1.5M

66.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$756 ₩1.0M

89.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$7,009 ₩9.4M

-40.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$5,457 ₩7.3M

-44.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,713 ₩2.3M

-70.68%

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 Changwon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Changwon

$356 23.3% 27.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Changwon

$491 32.1% 84.3% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Changwon

$263 17.2% 112% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Changwon

$176 11.5% 44.3% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Changwon

$156 10.2% 27.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Changwon

$76 5% 7.7% $6.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Changwon

$12 * 0.8% 83.6% $59

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 $716 in Phuket and $484 in Changwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changwon pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $28 in Changwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $491, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Changwon

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,055,839

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Changwon 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Changwon

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 Changwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,529 in Changwon, so Phuket is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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 $484 in Changwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Changwon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,529 in Changwon – Phuket is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,529 in Changwon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Changwon. 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 Changwon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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