Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,599 in Icheon, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Icheon

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,599 in Icheon, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Icheon $1,599

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,052 in Icheon, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Icheon $2,052

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,506 in Icheon, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Icheon $2,506

Phuket is about 20% cheaper than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Icheon is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.24 ₩8,370

-28.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$49.61 ₩66.5K

-34.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.65 ₩8,909

32.48%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.67 ₩4,913

-22.89%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.33 ₩1,785

-34.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.18 ₩1,578

-58.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.86 ₩5,171

-33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.24 ₩5,677

-13.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.29 ₩3,074

-27.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.19 ₩4,276

-54.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$3.12 ₩4,178

-51.92%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.65 ₩3,557

-21.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.29 ₩15.1K

68.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.73 ₩14.4K

-69.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$25.00 ₩33.5K

-56.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$11.46 ₩15.4K

-74.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.59 ₩4,818

-52.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$7.97 ₩10.7K

-71.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$6.08 ₩8,153

-65.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$5.89 ₩7,896

-74.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$3.31 ₩4,430

-58.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.84 ₩3,808

-62.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.34 ₩1,801

-61.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.42 ₩4,587

22.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$18.77 ₩25.2K

0.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.43 ₩3,255

-25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.45 ₩4,623

-17.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.10 ₩1,480

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.52 ₩4,717

-14.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.74 ₩988

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$17.15 ₩23.0K

-78.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.42 ₩1,905

3.52%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$40.4K ₩54.1M

-33.68%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$33.6K ₩45.1M

-20.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$205 ₩275.4K

-53.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$36.50 ₩48.9K

-69.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.50 ₩36.9K

-38.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$22.67 ₩30.4K

196.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.46 ₩15.4K

-34.55%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$631 ₩845.3K

-24.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$22.3K ₩29.9M

-49.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$107 ₩142.8K

-41.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$64.9 ₩86.9K

-56.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$94.2 ₩126.2K

0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$127 ₩170.0K

-32.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$763 ₩1.0M

-6.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$454 ₩608.4K

8.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,314 ₩3.1M

-78.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.9

42.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Icheon

$454 28.4% 7.5% $37

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Icheon

$490 30.6% 84% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Icheon

$269 16.9% 117% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Icheon

$177 11% 44.9% $55

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Icheon

$152 9.5% 24.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Icheon

$46 2.9% 44.5% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Icheon

$12 * 0.7% 83.5% $59

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 $763 in Icheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Icheon are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $50 in Icheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $490 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

213,059

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Icheon 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Icheon is pricier by about 25%, 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 $2,398 in Icheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $763 in Icheon. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $50 in Icheon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Icheon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Icheon at $1,599. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Icheon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Icheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.