Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gimcheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,437 in Gimcheon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gimcheon
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Gimcheon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gimcheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gimcheon

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,437 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Gimcheon $1,437

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,340 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Gimcheon $2,340

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,242 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Gimcheon $3,242

Phuket is about 11% cheaper than Gimcheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.90 ₩7,917

-24.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$34.08 ₩45.8K

-4.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.62 ₩8,895

33.08%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.59 ₩4,817

-21.17%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.60 ₩2,142

-45.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.63 ₩846

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.40 ₩4,565

-24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.61 ₩6,186

-20.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.32 ₩3,109

-28.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.21 ₩4,309

-54.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.24 ₩3,011

-33.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.39 ₩4,549

-38.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.60 ₩21.0K

22.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.82 ₩10.5K

-57.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.25 ₩15.1K

-3.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$7.61 ₩10.2K

-61.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.34 ₩4,491

-49.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.73 ₩10.4K

-70.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.84 ₩9,182

-69.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.43 ₩4,603

-55.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.38 ₩3,192

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.12 ₩2,845

-49.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.35 ₩1,807

-61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.42 ₩4,586

22.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.52 ₩24.9K

1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.23 ₩2,989

-18.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.86 ₩5,183

-26.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.12 ₩1,498

29.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.04 ₩4,082

-0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.65 ₩878

56.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.92 ₩12.0K

-58.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.11 ₩1,492

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$29.3K ₩39.4M

-8.64%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.5K ₩47.7M

-24.87%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$209 ₩281.1K

-53.97%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$42.72 ₩57.4K

-73.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.99 ₩28.2K

-19.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$52.9 ₩71.0K

27.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.50 ₩18.1K

-20.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.21 ₩15.1K

-33.10%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$304 ₩407.8K

56.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$18.1K ₩24.4M

-37.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$66.4 ₩89.2K

-6.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$63.2 ₩84.9K

-55.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$74.4 ₩99.9K

26.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$100 ₩134.9K

-14.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$499 ₩670.5K

43.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$379 ₩509.3K

29.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,349 ₩1.8M

42.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,020 ₩1.4M

40.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$8,129 ₩10.9M

-48.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,412 ₩7.3M

-43.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,915 ₩2.6M

-73.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.1

35.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gimcheon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gimcheon

$379 26.4% 22.7% $112

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gimcheon

$416 29% 56.3% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gimcheon

$273 19% 119% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gimcheon

$137 9.5% 12.4% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gimcheon

$145 10.1% 19.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gimcheon

$75 5.2% 8.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gimcheon

$11 * 0.8% 84.7% $60

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 $499 in Gimcheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gimcheon are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $34 in Gimcheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $416 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Gimcheon

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

143,056

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Gimcheon 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gimcheon

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 Gimcheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gimcheon is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,155 in Gimcheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gimcheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $499 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,437 in Gimcheon. That makes Phuket about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $304 in Gimcheon. 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 $1,437 in Gimcheon. 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, Gimcheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.