Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gimhae

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,553 in Gimhae, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. The total is higher in Gimhae despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
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Gimhae Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gimhae

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,553 in Gimhae.

Phuket $1,294
Gimhae $1,553

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,462 in Gimhae.

Phuket $2,204
Gimhae $2,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,371 in Gimhae.

Phuket $3,115
Gimhae $3,371

Living in Phuket costs roughly 17% less than in Gimhae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Gimhae is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$7.61 ₩10.2K

-42.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$49.21 ₩66.0K

-34.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.69 ₩8,970

30.04%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.76 ₩5,037

-27.66%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.87 ₩2,510

-50.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.39 ₩1,865

-64.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$3.76 ₩5,041

-32.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.39 ₩5,882

-17.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.31 ₩3,102

-24.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.24 ₩4,344

-55.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.05 ₩4,093

-50.82%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.61 ₩3,504

-16.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$11.14 ₩14.9K

71.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$10.49 ₩14.1K

-67.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$24.45 ₩32.8K

-55.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$10.94 ₩14.7K

-73.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$3.55 ₩4,758

-52.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$8.18 ₩11.0K

-73.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$5.84 ₩7,826

-63.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$6.03 ₩8,079

-75.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$3.29 ₩4,415

-58.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$2.75 ₩3,686

-60.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.33 ₩1,785

-58.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.26 ₩4,373

35.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$18.65 ₩25.0K

-2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.37 ₩3,174

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.53 ₩4,732

-18.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$1.21 ₩1,621

19.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$3.47 ₩4,653

-56.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.67 ₩895

16.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$14.75 ₩19.8K

-73.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.27 ₩1,707

17.32%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$39.7K ₩53.2M

-32.21%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$33.4K ₩44.8M

-21.18%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$195 ₩261.8K

-49.91%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$36.82 ₩49.4K

-69.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$27.09 ₩36.3K

-36.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$46.27 ₩62.0K

47.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$15.19 ₩20.4K

-28.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$11.94 ₩16.0K

-37.77%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$630 ₩844.4K

-15.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$21.8K ₩29.2M

-13.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$102 ₩137.1K

-39.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$65.1 ₩87.2K

-56.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$93.9 ₩125.9K

2.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$127 ₩169.9K

-31.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$505 ₩676.3K

42.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$388 ₩519.8K

31.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$1,203 ₩1.6M

62.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$801 ₩1.1M

74.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$7,801 ₩10.5M

-46.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$5,673 ₩7.6M

-41.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$2,533 ₩3.4M

-80.59%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gimhae: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Gimhae

$388 25% 23.8% $121

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Gimhae

$483 31.1% 81% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Gimhae

$259 16.7% 105% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Gimhae

$175 11.2% 42.3% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Gimhae

$167 10.7% 39.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Gimhae

$70 4.5% 15.7% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Gimhae

$12 * 0.8% 82.4% $54

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 $721 in Phuket and $505 in Gimhae. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gimhae 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 Gimhae for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $483 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

13:58 1:58 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

532,132

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Gimhae 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gimhae

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 Gimhae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Gimhae. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $505 in Gimhae. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $630 in Gimhae. 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 Gimhae. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,553 in Gimhae, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gimhae. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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