Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gwangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,341 in Gwangju, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. The total is higher in Gwangju despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gwangju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,341 in Gwangju.

Phuket $1,278
Gwangju $1,341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,048 in Gwangju.

Phuket $2,216
Gwangju $2,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,756 in Gwangju.

Phuket $3,154
Gwangju $2,756

Living in Phuket costs roughly 5% less than in Gwangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Gwangju 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.02 ₩8,080

-25.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$34.32 ₩46.1K

-5.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.82 ₩7,817

51.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.17 ₩4,258

-10.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.59 ₩2,141

-45.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.63 ₩848

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.38 ₩3,197

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.59 ₩6,170

-19.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.72 ₩2,312

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.49 ₩3,348

-41.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.29 ₩3,075

-34.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.64 ₩3,541

-20.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.80 ₩11.8K

116.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.82 ₩10.5K

-57.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.15 ₩15.0K

-2.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.16 ₩6,934

-43.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.02 ₩4,050

-44.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.72 ₩5,000

-39.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.09 ₩4,144

-32.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.60 ₩4,835

-58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.89 ₩2,541

-26.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.11 ₩2,838

-49.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.28 ₩1,725

-59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.36 ₩4,515

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.19 ₩15.0K

67.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.51 ₩2,031

20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.31 ₩3,100

22.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.01 ₩1,351

43.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$68.8 ₩92.4K

-17.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.06 ₩4,102

-1.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.64 ₩854

59.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.84 ₩10.5K

-52.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.20 ₩1,617

22.50%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$28.1K ₩37.7M

-4.59%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.2K ₩47.3M

-24.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$212 ₩284.5K

-54.52%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$44.13 ₩59.3K

-74.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.64 ₩27.7K

-18.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$55.4 ₩74.3K

21.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.36 ₩19.3K

-25.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.20 ₩15.0K

-33.04%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$299 ₩401.2K

59.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$17.5K ₩23.5M

-35.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$32.50 ₩43.6K

91.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.36 ₩35.4K

7.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$63.9 ₩85.8K

47.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$89.9 ₩120.7K

-4.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$508 ₩682.6K

40.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$370 ₩496.4K

32.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,163 ₩1.6M

65.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$744 ₩998.6K

92.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$7,980 ₩10.7M

-47.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$6,343 ₩8.5M

-52.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,834 ₩3.8M

-82.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.6

54.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gwangju: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gwangju

$370 27.6% 24.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gwangju

$308 23% 15.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gwangju

$277 20.6% 122% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gwangju

$96 7.1% 21.5% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gwangju

$134 10% 9.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gwangju

$78 5.8% 5.4% $4.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gwangju

$79 5.9% 12.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $508 in Gwangju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwangju pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in Gwangju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $308 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,467,996

💱 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 Gwangju 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gwangju

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 Gwangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $508 in Gwangju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $34 in Gwangju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,341 in Gwangju – Phuket is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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