Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Songdo-dong

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,415 in Songdo-dong, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Songdo-dong
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Songdo-dong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Songdo-dong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,415 in Songdo-dong.

Phuket $1,294
Songdo-dong $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,248 in Songdo-dong.

Phuket $2,204
Songdo-dong $2,248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,080 in Songdo-dong.

Phuket $3,115
Songdo-dong $3,080

Living in Phuket costs roughly 9% less than in Songdo-dong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Songdo-dong is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$5.86 ₩7,848

-25.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$35.02 ₩46.9K

-7.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$6.60 ₩8,839

31.82%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.71 ₩4,974

-26.68%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.58 ₩2,109

-41.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.62 ₩830

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$3.04 ₩4,074

-16.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.56 ₩6,110

-20.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$2.28 ₩3,055

-23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$3.07 ₩4,104

-52.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.62 ₩3,511

-42.75%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.29 ₩4,410

-34.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$15.41 ₩20.6K

23.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$10.39 ₩13.9K

-67.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$11.08 ₩14.8K

-1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$6.99 ₩9,356

-57.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.45 ₩3,283

-31.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$4.47 ₩5,991

-51.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$6.96 ₩9,320

-69.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$3.25 ₩4,357

-55.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.55 ₩3,417

-46.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$2.03 ₩2,717

-46.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.47 ₩1,970

-62.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.43 ₩4,598

29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$13.63 ₩18.3K

33.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.54 ₩4,745

-57.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.66 ₩882

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.41 ₩1,882

5.67%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$28.8K ₩38.6M

-6.69%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$35.8K ₩47.9M

-26.31%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$214 ₩286.4K

-54.27%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$42.76 ₩57.3K

-73.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$21.06 ₩28.2K

-18.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$11.11 ₩14.9K

-33.12%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$367 ₩491.3K

44.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$17.6K ₩23.6M

6.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$66.3 ₩88.7K

-6.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$63.7 ₩85.3K

-55.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$75.3 ₩100.8K

27.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$100.0 ₩133.9K

-13.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$448 ₩599.9K

13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,934 ₩2.6M

0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$1,048 ₩1.4M

33.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$3,341 ₩4.5M

-85.29%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Songdo-dong: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Songdo-dong

$448 31.7% 12% $61

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Songdo-dong

$379 * 26.8% 41.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Songdo-dong

$278 19.6% 120% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Songdo-dong

$137 9.7% 11.9% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Songdo-dong

$144 10.2% 20.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Songdo-dong

$22 * 1.6% 73.3% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Songdo-dong

$6.8 * 0.5% 89.6% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

Songdo-dong pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Songdo-dong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $379 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Songdo-dong

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

23:08 11:08 PM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Songdo-dong 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% 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.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $367 in Songdo-dong. 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 Songdo-dong. 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 Songdo-dong are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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