Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,409 in Cheongju, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Cheongju despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cheongju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Phuket $1,278
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Phuket $2,216
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Phuket $3,154
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Phuket costs roughly 9% less than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Cheongju is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.47 ₩9,963

-40.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$48.95 ₩65.3K

-33.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.88 ₩7,844

49.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.66 ₩4,875

-22.68%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.84 ₩2,458

-52.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.40 ₩1,861

-65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.65 ₩4,872

-29.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.33 ₩5,776

-15.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.25 ₩3,005

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.25 ₩4,340

-55.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.05 ₩4,074

-50.82%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.73 ₩3,647

-23.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.16 ₩14.9K

70.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.65 ₩14.2K

-69.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.55 ₩32.7K

-55.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$11.40 ₩15.2K

-74.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.59 ₩4,786

-52.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-72.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.85 ₩7,801

-64.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$5.84 ₩7,788

-74.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$3.43 ₩4,570

-59.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.87 ₩3,828

-62.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.33 ₩1,767

-60.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.45 ₩4,595

21.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.71 ₩25.0K

0.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.46 ₩3,280

-26.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.40 ₩4,541

-16.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.15 ₩1,527

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.50 ₩4,669

-13.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.76 ₩1,014

34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.67 ₩22.2K

-77.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.36 ₩1,811

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$39.0K ₩52.1M

-31.40%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$33.7K ₩45.0M

-20.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$205 ₩273.1K

-52.95%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.30 ₩32.4K

-53.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$27.72 ₩37.0K

-39.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$53.6 ₩71.4K

25.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.97 ₩18.6K

-23.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.81 ₩15.7K

-36.49%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$651 ₩867.5K

-26.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$21.8K ₩29.1M

-48.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$36.84 ₩49.1K

69.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$65.4 ₩87.1K

-56.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$93.9 ₩125.2K

0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$113 ₩151.0K

-24.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$342 ₩456.6K

109.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$275 ₩367.1K

78.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,197 ₩1.6M

61.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$760 ₩1.0M

88.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$7,228 ₩9.6M

-42.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,619 ₩7.5M

-45.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-80.78%

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 Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 43.9% $216

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 83.3% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 106% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 14.2% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 32.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 6.1% $5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 83.2% $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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $488 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

13:46 1:46 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

835,669

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cheongju 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cheongju

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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Cheongju. 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 81% 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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $651 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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