Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,418 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Seongnam despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Seongnam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,418 in Seongnam.

Phuket $1,278
Seongnam $1,418

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,361 in Seongnam.

Phuket $2,216
Seongnam $2,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,305 in Seongnam.

Phuket $3,154
Seongnam $3,305

Living in Phuket costs roughly 10% less than in Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Seongnam is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.95 ₩9,271

-35.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$41.62 ₩55.5K

-22.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.83 ₩9,112

28.99%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.03 ₩5,372

-29.78%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.56 ₩2,077

-44.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.76 ₩1,008

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.53 ₩4,709

-27.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.81 ₩5,079

-3.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.31 ₩3,081

-28.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.18 ₩4,244

-54.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.71 ₩4,945

-59.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.67 ₩4,890

-43.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.13 ₩12.2K

108.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.04 ₩10.7K

-58.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.41 ₩27.2K

-46.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$7.56 ₩10.1K

-61.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.56 ₩4,747

-52.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.65 ₩7,532

-60.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.81 ₩9,088

-69.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.76 ₩5,008

-59.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.62 ₩3,498

-47.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.93 ₩3,911

-63.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.35 ₩1,795

-61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.48 ₩4,638

20.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.94 ₩25.3K

-0.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.10 ₩2,798

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.93 ₩2,571

47.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.09 ₩1,452

33.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.65 ₩4,864

-17.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.67 ₩892

52.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.76 ₩11.7K

-57.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.39 ₩1,855

5.76%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$30.0K ₩40.0M

-10.68%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$28.1K ₩37.4M

-4.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$215 ₩286.6K

-55.17%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$36.76 ₩49.0K

-69.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$21.23 ₩28.3K

-20.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$55.1 ₩73.4K

22.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.12 ₩18.8K

-24.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.38 ₩15.2K

-34.09%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$379 ₩505.6K

25.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$18.1K ₩24.1M

-37.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$57.7 ₩76.9K

8.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.54 ₩43.4K

-12.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$71.4 ₩95.2K

32.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$84.4 ₩112.6K

1.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$488 ₩650.4K

46.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$360 ₩480.4K

36.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,158 ₩1.5M

66.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,046 ₩1.4M

36.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$7,247 ₩9.7M

-42.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,589 ₩7.5M

-45.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Seongnam

$360 25.4% 26.6% $131

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Seongnam

$426 30% 59.9% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Seongnam

$273 19.3% 119% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Seongnam

$111 7.8% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Seongnam

$159 11.2% 30.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Seongnam

$78 5.5% 5.4% $4.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 83.9% $59

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 $488 in Seongnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Seongnam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $426 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

12:03 12:03 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

967,510

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Seongnam 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,127 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: $716 in Phuket versus $488 in Seongnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $379 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 $32 versus $42 in Seongnam. 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 Seongnam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.