Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Daejeon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,365 in Daejeon, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Daejeon despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
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Daejeon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Daejeon

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,365 in Daejeon, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Daejeon $1,365

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,140 in Daejeon, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Daejeon $2,140

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,915 in Daejeon, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Daejeon $2,915

Phuket is about 6% cheaper than Daejeon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.62 ₩10.2K

-41.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$37.50 ₩50.1K

-13.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.66 ₩7,563

55.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.75 ₩5,007

-24.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.22 ₩1,626

-28.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.69 ₩922

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.69 ₩4,932

-30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.82 ₩5,100

-3.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.11 ₩2,812

-21.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.80 ₩3,744

-47.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.68 ₩3,578

-44.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.62 ₩3,495

-20.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.27 ₩15.0K

69.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.29 ₩11.1K

-60.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.93 ₩27.9K

-47.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$11.19 ₩14.9K

-73.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$5.54 ₩7,402

-69.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.82 ₩7,770

-61.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$6.06 ₩8,089

-65.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$5.21 ₩6,956

-71.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.87 ₩3,830

-51.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.72 ₩2,299

-37.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.09 ₩1,450

-52.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.50 ₩4,674

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.83 ₩25.1K

-0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.66 ₩3,552

-31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.45 ₩4,607

-17.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.15 ₩1,531

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$11.53 ₩15.4K

391.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.29 ₩4,387

-8.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.73 ₩976

39.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.77 ₩22.4K

-78.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.24 ₩1,651

18.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$29.0K ₩38.7M

-7.62%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$23.4K ₩31.2M

14.08%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$173 ₩230.9K

-44.29%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$43.00 ₩57.4K

-73.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.62 ₩30.2K

-25.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$33.83 ₩45.2K

98.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.39 ₩15.2K

-34.15%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$302 ₩403.2K

57.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$21.9K ₩29.2M

-48.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$65.3 ₩87.2K

-4.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$40.89 ₩54.6K

-30.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$93.9 ₩125.3K

0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$107 ₩142.7K

-19.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$371 ₩495.8K

92.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$301 ₩402.3K

62.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,041 ₩1.4M

85.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$612 ₩816.6K

133.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,603 ₩7.5M

-25.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,492 ₩6.0M

-32.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,366 ₩3.2M

-78.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.65

52.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Daejeon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Daejeon

$301 22.1% 38.6% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Daejeon

$450 33% 69.1% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Daejeon

$239 17.5% 91.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Daejeon

$138 10.1% 13.3% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Daejeon

$157 11.5% 28.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Daejeon

$57 4.2% 31.1% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Daejeon

$23 1.7% 67.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $371 in Daejeon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Daejeon are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $37 in Daejeon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $450 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

08:13 8:13 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,537,324

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Daejeon 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Daejeon

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 Daejeon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Daejeon costs about 7% 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 $2,047 in Daejeon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daejeon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $371 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,365 in Daejeon. That makes Phuket about 6% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Daejeon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,365 in Daejeon. 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, Daejeon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.