Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Seoul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,848 in Seoul.

Phuket $1,278
Seoul $1,848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,986 in Seoul.

Phuket $2,216
Seoul $2,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,125 in Seoul.

Phuket $3,154
Seoul $4,125

Living in Phuket costs roughly 31% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Seoul is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.05 ₩12.1K

-50.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$68.3 ₩91.2K

-52.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.35 ₩9,812

19.86%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.12 ₩5,498

-31.31%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.64 ₩2,195

-46.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.81 ₩1,077

-39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.71 ₩4,952

-31.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.13 ₩8,188

-39.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.04 ₩2,726

-18.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.21 ₩4,286

-54.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.39 ₩5,858

-65.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.59 ₩4,795

-41.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$18.23 ₩24.3K

4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.51 ₩14.0K

-68.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$26.89 ₩35.9K

-59.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-62.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.53 ₩4,712

-52.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.70 ₩7,616

-60.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$6.18 ₩8,249

-66.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.76 ₩5,024

-59.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.51 ₩3,354

-45.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.82 ₩3,758

-62.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.11 ₩1,482

-53.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.30 ₩4,406

27.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.64 ₩24.9K

0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.42 ₩3,229

-24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.36 ₩4,483

-15.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.19 ₩1,591

21.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$46.13 ₩61.6K

22.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.55 ₩4,742

-14.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.60 ₩806

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.08 ₩12.1K

-59.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.44 ₩1,920

2.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$30.3K ₩40.4M

-11.53%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$28.9K ₩38.6M

-7.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$213 ₩283.7K

-54.67%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.83 ₩47.8K

-68.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$21.39 ₩28.6K

-21.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$61.6 ₩82.3K

9.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.41 ₩21.9K

-34.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.42 ₩15.2K

-34.33%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-75.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$22.8K ₩30.4M

-50.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$59.8 ₩79.8K

4.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$34.19 ₩45.7K

-16.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$66.0 ₩88.1K

42.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$81.9 ₩109.3K

4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$924 ₩1.2M

-22.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$659 ₩880.0K

-25.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,012 ₩4.0M

-36.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,440 ₩1.9M

-0.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$27.2K ₩36.3M

-84.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$11.3K ₩15.1M

-73.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,570 ₩4.8M

-85.93%

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 Seoul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Seoul

$659 35.7% 34.3% $168

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Seoul

$483 26.2% 81.6% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Seoul

$270 14.6% 117% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Seoul

$109 5.9% 10.7% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Seoul

$184 10% 51.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Seoul

$84 4.6% 2.7% $2.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Seoul

$57 3.1% 18.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $924 in Seoul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays about 7.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $68 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $483 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Seoul 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Seoul

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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 31% 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 86% 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 $924 in Seoul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,948 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,848 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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