Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Seongnam Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Seongnam

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,264 in Phuket versus $1,664 in Seongnam.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,256 in Phuket versus $2,474 in Seongnam.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,248 in Phuket versus $3,283 in Seongnam.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 24% less than in Seongnam, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 5% below, Seongnam is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ฿150

$5.81 ₩8,359

-22.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.59 ฿1,521

$41.83 ₩60.2K

8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿292

$4.43 ₩6,376

97.74%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ฿99.0

$3.97 ₩5,705

-25.19%

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

$0.69 ฿22.90

$1.53 ₩2,199

-54.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.04

$0.79 ₩1,138

-50.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.4

$2.65 ₩3,806

-4.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿125

$3.58 ₩5,151

4.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ฿71.6

$2.14 ₩3,074

0.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿60.6

$2.06 ₩2,962

-11.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.14 ₩4,522

-30.57%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.0

$3.19 ₩4,588

-29.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.00 ฿667

$9.34 ₩13.4K

114.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿121

$7.81 ₩11.2K

-53.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿452

$33.54 ₩48.2K

-59.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ฿108

$7.50 ₩10.8K

-56.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.6

$3.46 ₩4,976

-52.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿77.8

$5.64 ₩8,113

-58.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.1

$6.60 ₩9,490

-68.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.6

$3.51 ₩5,044

-55.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.54

$2.85 ₩4,102

-48.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.86

$2.51 ₩3,604

-60.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.96 ₩1,382

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$3.39 ₩4,878

28.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.57 ฿620

$17.05 ₩24.5K

8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿61.9

$1.85 ₩2,662

0.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿88.6

$1.86 ₩2,671

42.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.28

$1.10 ₩1,575

29.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 ฿386

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ฿106

$3.64 ₩5,228

-12.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ฿34.41

$0.53 ₩769

94.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 ฿463

$8.89 ₩12.8K

56.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.84

$1.19 ₩1,708

12.61%

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

$27.8K ฿927.1K

$27.2K ₩39.1M

2.18%

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

$33.4K ฿1.1M

$25.2K ₩36.2M

32.51%

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

$123 ฿4,105

$167 ₩239.5K

-26.12%

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

$13.77 ฿459

$34.40 ₩49.5K

-59.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 ฿611

$21.95 ₩31.6K

-16.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 ฿2,025

$47.71 ₩68.6K

27.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿573

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿296

$11.20 ₩16.1K

-20.80%

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

$688 ฿22.9K

$413 ₩593.6K

66.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿526.4K

$23.2K ₩33.4M

-32.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,978

$58.1 ₩83.5K

2.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.69 ฿1,157

$47.33 ₩68.1K

-26.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,843

$80.4 ₩115.7K

43.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ฿2,794

$118 ₩169.0K

-28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 ฿20.7K

$442 ₩636.4K

40.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.9K

$671 ₩964.7K

-33.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 ฿67.8K

$1,073 ₩1.5M

89.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿49.9K

$1,008 ₩1.5M

48.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,455 ฿115.3K

$7,307 ₩10.5M

-52.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,531 ฿84.4K

$5,184 ₩7.5M

-51.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.14

28.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: July 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Phuket and $442 in Seongnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Seongnam. Groceries flip the comparison at $291 vs $434, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,896 in Phuket and $2,496 in Seongnam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $621 in Phuket versus $442 in Seongnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Phuket versus $413 in Seongnam. 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 $46.00 versus $42.00 in Seongnam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,264 in Phuket versus $1,664 in Seongnam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Seongnam. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Seongnam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Seongnam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Seongnam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.