Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chungju

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,450 in Chungju, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Chungju despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
Learn more

Chungju Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chungju

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,450 in Chungju, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Chungju $1,450

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,312 in Chungju, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Chungju $2,312

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,173 in Chungju, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Chungju $3,173

Phuket is about 12% cheaper than Chungju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Chungju is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.70 ₩10.3K

-41.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$49.08 ₩65.8K

-33.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.74 ₩9,036

30.71%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.62 ₩4,851

-21.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.78 ₩2,390

-51.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.45 ₩1,949

-66.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.72 ₩4,991

-31.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.34 ₩5,811

-15.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.32 ₩3,106

-28.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.95 ₩3,957

-50.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$3.09 ₩4,143

-51.46%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.66 ₩3,569

-21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.14 ₩14.9K

71.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.59 ₩10.2K

-56.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.68 ₩33.1K

-55.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$8.96 ₩12.0K

-67.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.69 ₩4,945

-54.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$7.96 ₩10.7K

-71.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.79 ₩7,764

-64.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$6.09 ₩8,161

-75.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$3.39 ₩4,542

-59.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.74 ₩3,677

-60.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.30 ₩1,740

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.29 ₩4,410

27.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$18.95 ₩25.4K

-0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.42 ₩3,242

-24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.96 ₩3,972

-4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.10 ₩1,480

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.62 ₩4,847

-16.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.72 ₩966

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$16.99 ₩22.8K

-78.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.43 ₩1,914

2.80%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$39.4K ₩52.9M

-32.11%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$34.5K ₩46.2M

-22.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$198 ₩265.2K

-51.30%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.49 ₩36.8K

-59.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.04 ₩36.2K

-37.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$54.3 ₩72.8K

23.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$14.29 ₩19.2K

-24.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.89 ₩15.9K

-36.92%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$629 ₩843.1K

-24.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$22.1K ₩29.7M

-49.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$76.1 ₩102.0K

-18.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$37.91 ₩50.8K

-25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$73.6 ₩98.7K

28.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$113 ₩151.4K

-24.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$483 ₩648.0K

48.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$351 ₩470.4K

39.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,189 ₩1.6M

62.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$761 ₩1.0M

87.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$7,118 ₩9.5M

-41.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$5,478 ₩7.3M

-44.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,672 ₩2.2M

-69.96%

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 Chungju: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chungju

$351 24.2% 28.5% $140

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chungju

$456 31.5% 71.4% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chungju

$252 17.4% 103% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chungju

$135 9.3% 11% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chungju

$165 11.4% 36% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chungju

$78 5.4% 5.1% $4.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chungju

$12 * 0.8% 83.5% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $483 in Chungju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chungju are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $49 in Chungju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $456 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Chungju

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

11:50 11:50 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

208,529

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chungju 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chungju

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 Chungju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chungju costs about 13% 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 $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,175 in Chungju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chungju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,450 in Chungju. That makes Phuket about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $629 in Chungju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,450 in Chungju. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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