Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cheonan

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,467 in Cheonan, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
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Cheonan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cheonan

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,467 in Cheonan, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Cheonan $1,467

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $2,259 in Cheonan, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Cheonan $2,259

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $3,051 in Cheonan, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Cheonan $3,051

Phuket is about 18% cheaper than Cheonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Cheonan is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$7.53 ₩10.0K

-39.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$22.63 ₩30.1K

43.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.28 ₩5,693

99.77%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.47 ₩1,951

85.03%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.16 ₩1,538

-18.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.40 ₩1,867

-65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.28 ₩3,031

13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.40 ₩5,853

-12.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.60 ₩2,125

8.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.22 ₩4,287

-55.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.07 ₩4,078

-50.16%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.61 ₩3,476

-16.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$11.19 ₩14.9K

71.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.38 ₩13.8K

-68.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$25.11 ₩33.4K

-55.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$11.23 ₩14.9K

-73.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.73 ₩4,965

-54.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$8.07 ₩10.7K

-71.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$6.04 ₩8,035

-64.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$6.10 ₩8,106

-74.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.34 ₩4,438

-59.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.75 ₩3,651

-59.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.33 ₩1,765

-58.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.38 ₩4,494

26.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$18.30 ₩24.3K

-0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.43 ₩3,229

-28.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.35 ₩4,454

-16.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.14 ₩1,509

94.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.05 ₩4,050

-4.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.78 ₩1,036

29.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$16.69 ₩22.2K

-77.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.24 ₩1,650

20.16%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-10.30%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$34.2K ₩45.5M

-21.92%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$199 ₩264.9K

-50.12%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$35.67 ₩47.4K

-68.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$27.08 ₩36.0K

-35.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$51.6 ₩68.6K

1.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$11.77 ₩15.6K

-7.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$12.13 ₩16.1K

-37.59%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$636 ₩845.7K

-12.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$21.5K ₩28.6M

-46.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$66.2 ₩88.0K

-4.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$59.5 ₩79.1K

-51.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$92.6 ₩123.1K

3.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$127 ₩168.9K

-30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$478 ₩636.1K

52.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$361 ₩479.5K

27.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,153 ₩1.5M

81.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$739 ₩982.3K

65.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$7,244 ₩9.6M

-52.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$5,422 ₩7.2M

-54.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,824 ₩2.4M

-72.97%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Cheonan

$361 24.6% 21.6% $99

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Cheonan

$480 32.8% 79.5% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Cheonan

$262 17.9% 105% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cheonan

$155 10.6% 25.3% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Cheonan

$121 8.3% 0.1% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Cheonan

$76 5.2% 12.5% $8.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8% 70.5% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $478 in Cheonan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 270% higher in Cheonan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $23.00 in Cheonan. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $480 in Cheonan – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

658,486

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 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 Cheonan 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cheonan

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 Cheonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheonan costs about 21% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $2,200 in Cheonan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $1,467 in Cheonan. That's a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $636 in Cheonan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Cheonan at $1,467. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheonan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,467 in Cheonan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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