Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jinju

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,454 in Jinju, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Jinju despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
Learn more

Jinju Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jinju

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,454 in Jinju, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Jinju $1,454

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,506 in Jinju, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Jinju $2,506

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,557 in Jinju, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Jinju $3,557

Phuket is about 11% cheaper than Jinju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Jinju is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$9.03 ₩12.3K

-51.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$69.3 ₩94.0K

-53.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$7.54 ₩10.2K

15.38%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$4.03 ₩5,465

-32.51%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.63 ₩2,207

-42.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.73 ₩997

-31.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$3.62 ₩4,911

-30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$5.84 ₩7,924

-37.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.11 ₩2,857

-17.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$3.00 ₩4,069

-51.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$4.26 ₩5,776

-64.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$3.54 ₩4,809

-38.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$18.09 ₩24.6K

5.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$10.47 ₩14.2K

-67.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$26.27 ₩35.6K

-58.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$7.68 ₩10.4K

-61.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$3.43 ₩4,653

-50.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$5.78 ₩7,846

-62.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$6.20 ₩8,409

-65.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$3.54 ₩4,803

-58.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$2.59 ₩3,519

-47.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$2.81 ₩3,816

-61.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.10 ₩1,491

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.41 ₩4,621

29.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$18.47 ₩25.1K

-1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$2.38 ₩3,235

-25.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$3.29 ₩4,462

-12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$1.13 ₩1,529

28.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$3.50 ₩4,752

-56.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$0.57 ₩775

36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$8.89 ₩12.1K

-56.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.50 ₩2,035

-0.67%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$29.6K ₩40.1M

-9.08%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$27.7K ₩37.7M

-5.06%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$211 ₩285.7K

-53.54%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$34.77 ₩47.2K

-67.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$21.12 ₩28.7K

-18.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$55.4 ₩75.2K

23.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$15.76 ₩21.4K

-30.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$11.17 ₩15.2K

-33.48%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$451 ₩612.5K

17.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$26.1K ₩35.4M

-27.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$61.8 ₩83.9K

-0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$33.27 ₩45.1K

-15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$69.5 ₩94.3K

38.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$80.1 ₩108.6K

8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$536 ₩727.6K

34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$330 ₩447.8K

54.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$1,226 ₩1.7M

59.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$996 ₩1.4M

40.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$6,214 ₩8.4M

-32.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$4,832 ₩6.6M

-31.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jinju: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Jinju

$330 22.7% 35.2% $179

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Jinju

$476 32.8% 78.5% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Jinju

$266 18.3% 111% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Jinju

$110 7.6% 10.3% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Jinju

$182 12.6% 52.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Jinju

$78 5.4% 6.5% $5.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Jinju

$11 * 0.8% 83.5% $55

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 $536 in Jinju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $69 in Jinju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $476 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Jinju

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

340,548

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.56 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,357 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD). 1 EUR = 1,523 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Jinju 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jinju

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 Jinju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Jinju is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,181 in Jinju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jinju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $536 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $69 in Jinju. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 79% more in Jinju, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,454 in Jinju. 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.