Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Incheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,376 in Incheon, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Incheon despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Incheon
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Incheon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Incheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Incheon

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,376 in Incheon, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Incheon $1,376

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,124 in Incheon, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Incheon $2,124

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,873 in Incheon, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Incheon $2,873

Phuket is about 7% cheaper than Incheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.17 ₩8,275

-27.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$34.97 ₩46.9K

-7.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.92 ₩9,272

27.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.66 ₩4,901

-22.68%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.55 ₩2,073

-43.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.59 ₩796

-16.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.59 ₩4,805

-28.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.42 ₩5,925

-16.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.11 ₩2,827

-21.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.05 ₩4,087

-52.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.28 ₩3,061

-34.21%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.26 ₩4,376

-35.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$15.83 ₩21.2K

20.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.98 ₩10.7K

-58.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.35 ₩15.2K

-3.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$7.50 ₩10.1K

-60.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.33 ₩4,462

-49.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$5.94 ₩7,963

-62.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$6.30 ₩8,446

-66.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.48 ₩4,669

-56.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.39 ₩3,208

-42.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.11 ₩2,826

-49.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.12 ₩1,495

-53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.42 ₩4,588

22.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$19.16 ₩25.7K

-1.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.24 ₩2,999

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.23 ₩4,324

-12.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.07 ₩1,437

35.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$25.40 ₩34.0K

123.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.68 ₩4,927

-17.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.60 ₩809

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$9.25 ₩12.4K

-60.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.36 ₩1,829

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$29.2K ₩39.1M

-8.26%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$28.3K ₩37.9M

-5.66%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$210 ₩282.0K

-54.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.72 ₩47.9K

-68.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$21.45 ₩28.8K

-21.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$34.30 ₩46.0K

96.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$37.83 ₩50.7K

-71.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.31 ₩15.2K

-33.69%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$295 ₩395.7K

61.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$17.8K ₩23.9M

-36.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$60.2 ₩80.7K

3.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$34.27 ₩45.9K

-17.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$66.5 ₩89.2K

41.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$83.6 ₩112.0K

2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$604 ₩809.0K

18.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$355 ₩475.5K

38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,263 ₩1.7M

52.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$708 ₩949.5K

101.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$6,882 ₩9.2M

-39.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$5,679 ₩7.6M

-46.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,460 ₩3.3M

-79.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.08

36.52%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Incheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Incheon

$355 25.8% 27.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Incheon

$401 29.1% 50.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Incheon

$268 19.5% 115% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Incheon

$110 8% 9.7% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Incheon

$149 10.9% 22.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Incheon

$57 4.1% 30.8% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Incheon

$36 2.6% 48.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $604 in Incheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Incheon are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $35 in Incheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $401 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Incheon

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,870,545

💱 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 Incheon 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Incheon

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 Incheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Incheon is pricier by about 8%, 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 $2,064 in Incheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Incheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $604 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $35 in Incheon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,376 in Incheon. That makes Phuket about 7% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,376 in Incheon. 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, Incheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.