Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,522 in Gongju, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Gongju despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gongju

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Gongju $1,522

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Gongju $2,522

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Gongju $3,522

Phuket is about 15% cheaper than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Gongju is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.24 ₩9,731

-39.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$47.72 ₩64.1K

-32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.68 ₩8,978

30.24%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.70 ₩4,973

-26.49%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.80 ₩2,423

-48.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.38 ₩1,854

-63.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.65 ₩4,909

-30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.18 ₩5,620

-13.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$2.34 ₩3,139

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$3.22 ₩4,331

-54.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.03 ₩4,071

-50.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.68 ₩3,598

-19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$10.83 ₩14.6K

76.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-67.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$24.97 ₩33.6K

-56.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-73.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.65 ₩4,907

-53.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$8.16 ₩11.0K

-73.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$6.03 ₩8,101

-64.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$5.80 ₩7,792

-74.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$3.25 ₩4,361

-57.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$2.86 ₩3,837

-62.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.27 ₩1,710

-56.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.41 ₩4,586

29.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$18.26 ₩24.5K

-0.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.38 ₩3,193

-25.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$3.60 ₩4,839

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.20 ₩1,609

20.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.64 ₩4,887

-58.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.67 ₩897

16.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$14.65 ₩19.7K

-73.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.39 ₩1,873

7.19%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$39.8K ₩53.4M

-32.38%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$33.7K ₩45.2M

-21.71%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$200 ₩269.2K

-51.18%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$36.89 ₩49.6K

-69.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$26.87 ₩36.1K

-36.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$58.3 ₩78.3K

17.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$15.41 ₩20.7K

-29.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-36.87%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$636 ₩855.1K

-16.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$21.6K ₩29.0M

-12.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$105 ₩141.2K

-41.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$64.5 ₩86.6K

-56.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$92.4 ₩124.2K

3.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$128 ₩172.0K

-32.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$424 ₩569.2K

70.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$343 ₩460.6K

48.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,406 ₩1.9M

38.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$936 ₩1.3M

49.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$6,877 ₩9.2M

-39.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$5,486 ₩7.4M

-39.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,309 ₩1.8M

-62.43%

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 Gongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Gongju

$343 22.5% 32.6% $166

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Gongju

$484 31.8% 81.4% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Gongju

$264 17.4% 109% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Gongju

$175 11.5% 43% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Gongju

$162 10.6% 35.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Gongju

$82 5.4% 1.7% $1.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 82.2% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $424 in Gongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gongju are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $48 in Gongju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $484 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

110,428

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Gongju 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,522 in Gongju – Phuket comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,283 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,522 in Gongju. That makes Phuket about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $636 in Gongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Gongju at $1,522. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gongju it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,522 in Gongju. 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, Gongju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.