Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sacheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,433 in Sacheon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Sacheon despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sacheon
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Sacheon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sacheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sacheon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,433 in Sacheon.

Phuket $1,278
Sacheon $1,433

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,223 in Sacheon.

Phuket $2,216
Sacheon $2,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,013 in Sacheon.

Phuket $3,154
Sacheon $3,013

Living in Phuket costs roughly 11% less than in Sacheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Sacheon is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.70 ₩10.3K

-41.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$35.45 ₩47.5K

-8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.52 ₩8,736

35.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.77 ₩5,048

-24.93%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.54 ₩2,058

-43.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.70 ₩932

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.51 ₩4,710

-27.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.39 ₩5,890

-16.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.22 ₩2,974

-25.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.22 ₩4,314

-54.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.80 ₩3,758

-46.43%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.82 ₩3,785

-25.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.03 ₩14.8K

72.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.98 ₩10.7K

-58.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.97 ₩28.1K

-47.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$7.52 ₩10.1K

-61.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.42 ₩4,587

-50.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$6.61 ₩8,858

-65.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$6.02 ₩8,074

-65.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.68 ₩4,936

-58.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.57 ₩3,448

-46.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.78 ₩3,730

-61.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.34 ₩1,795

-61.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.47 ₩4,653

21.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$19.05 ₩25.5K

-1.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.29 ₩3,075

-20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.53 ₩4,725

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.10 ₩1,469

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.34 ₩4,473

-9.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.61 ₩816

67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$8.83 ₩11.8K

-58.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.34 ₩1,799

9.70%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$29.3K ₩39.2M

-8.46%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$33.9K ₩45.4M

-21.17%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$209 ₩280.0K

-53.88%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$36.36 ₩48.7K

-69.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$21.18 ₩28.4K

-20.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$53.7 ₩72.0K

25.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$14.37 ₩19.3K

-25.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.38 ₩15.3K

-34.09%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$381 ₩510.9K

24.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$21.8K ₩29.2M

-48.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$63.2 ₩84.7K

-1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$61.6 ₩82.6K

-53.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$73.6 ₩98.7K

28.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$98.2 ₩131.6K

-12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$490 ₩656.9K

46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$356 ₩477.6K

37.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,164 ₩1.6M

65.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$736 ₩986.1K

94.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$7,276 ₩9.8M

-42.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$5,566 ₩7.5M

-45.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,512 ₩2.0M

-66.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.1

35.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sacheon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sacheon

$356 24.9% 27.4% $135

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sacheon

$427 29.8% 60.5% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sacheon

$266 18.6% 114% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sacheon

$133 9.3% 9.5% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sacheon

$162 11.3% 32.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sacheon

$76 5.3% 7% $5.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sacheon

$11 * 0.8% 84.7% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $490 in Sacheon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacheon pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Sacheon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $427 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Sacheon

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

117,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sacheon 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sacheon

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 Sacheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $490 in Sacheon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $381 in Sacheon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Sacheon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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