Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and North Korea

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
🇰🇵 North Korea
$836
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 6.2% cheaper than North Korea without rent, and 42.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 0.6% more expensive than North Korea without rent, and 57.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 ฿146
$2.75 $2.75
58.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.45 ฿1,087
$22.54 $22.54
43.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.42 ฿282
$19.33 $19.33
-56.44%
Cappuccino
$2.81 ฿94.0
$1.09 $1.09
157.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$2.25 $2.25
-61.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.39
$1.28 $1.28
-64.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$13.50 $13.50
-80.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 ฿122
$3.46 $3.46
5.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.2
$0.90 $0.90
90.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$2.52 $2.52
-42.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$1.56 $1.56
-
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$2.89 $2.89
-27.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.53 ฿654
$4.91 $4.91
297.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$3.86 $3.86
-11.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿373
$5.50 $5.50
102.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 ฿94.8
$6.12 $6.12
-53.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ฿54.3
$5.13 $5.13
-68.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.5
$2.28 $2.28
-2.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ฿71.9
$2.18 $2.18
-1.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ฿49.95
$4.53 $4.53
-67.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.40
$4.53 $4.53
-70.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.72
$2.26 $2.26
-52.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.01
$0.46 $0.46
10.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿147
$4.52 $4.52
-3.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.77 ฿629
$7.94 $7.94
136.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$1.15 $1.15
51.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿92.9
$2.18 $2.18
27.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 ฿72.6
$1.00 $1.00
117.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.28 ฿746
$38.72 $38.72
-42.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿101
$1.52 $1.52
98.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.43
$2.25 $2.25
-52.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿124
$39.80 $39.80
-90.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.88
$0.71 $0.71
101.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿882.1K
$22.2K $22.2K
18.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K ฿877.3K
$27.9K $27.9K
-6.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.7 ฿3,236
$33.64 $33.64
187.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿382
$11.23 $11.23
1.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 ฿573
$45.44 $45.44
-62.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,768
$59.4 $59.4
-11.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ฿371
$14.41 $14.41
-23.18%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
$7.78 $7.78
-1.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$555 ฿18.6K
$106 $106
425.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿377.7K
$2,149 $2,149
425.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ฿2,123
$22.12 $22.12
186.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.61 ฿958
$28.19 $28.19
1.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.7 ฿3,238
$62.9 $62.9
53.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ฿2,967
$84.7 $84.7
4.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 ฿24.6K
$97.2 $97.2
655.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 ฿15.3K
$104 $104
341.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 ฿70.4K
$1,399 $1,399
50.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 ฿39.7K
$208 $208
470.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,493 ฿116.9K
$1,684 $1,684
107.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,491 ฿83.4K
$1,392 $1,392
78.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
North Korea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.8K
$232 $232
116.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7.11
-21.66%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$458
North Korea
$104 77.4% $354
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
North Korea
$247 7.8% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
North Korea
$90 27.8% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$125
North Korea
$89 28.6% $36
Eating Out
Phuket
$119
North Korea
$182 52.3% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
North Korea
$75 10.1% $6.9
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
North Korea
$56 41.4% $16
Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇰🇵 North Korea
🕒 Local time
18:23 6:23 PM
20:23 8:23 PM
2 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
26,418,204
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket North Korea 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • North Korea

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

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