Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Suji-gu Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Suji-gu

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,479 in Suji-gu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $2,394 in Suji-gu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $3,310 in Suji-gu.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 17% less than in Suji-gu, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 8% below, Suji-gu is 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$9.03 ₩13.4K

-48.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$54.4 ₩80.6K

-13.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$6.53 ₩9,686

35.38%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.84 ₩5,697

-21.87%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$1.72 ₩2,558

-56.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.79 ₩1,178

-53.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$3.74 ₩5,551

-34.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$5.97 ₩8,860

-39.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$2.25 ₩3,333

0.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$3.32 ₩4,921

-44.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$3.13 ₩4,642

-28.43%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$3.07 ₩4,548

-24.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$14.30 ₩21.2K

37.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$10.78 ₩16.0K

-66.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$33.91 ₩50.3K

-61.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$7.64 ₩11.3K

-55.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$3.60 ₩5,341

-54.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$5.67 ₩8,410

-57.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$6.61 ₩9,805

-69.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$3.83 ₩5,688

-59.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$2.98 ₩4,426

-49.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$2.61 ₩3,864

-60.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$1.16 ₩1,723

-57.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.39 ₩5,023

31.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$15.28 ₩22.7K

23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.35 ₩3,488

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$3.26 ₩4,837

-15.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.06 ₩1,580

32.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$3.60 ₩5,346

-13.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.52 ₩776

92.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$8.77 ₩13.0K

60.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.24 ₩1,844

8.87%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$27.2K ₩40.3M

-0.06%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$24.7K ₩36.6M

33.45%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$165 ₩244.9K

-24.29%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$35.23 ₩52.3K

-61.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$21.93 ₩32.5K

-15.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$48.38 ₩71.8K

27.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$10.98 ₩16.3K

-16.30%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$422 ₩625.3K

65.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$23.1K ₩34.2M

-32.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$58.7 ₩87.1K

-1.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$46.62 ₩69.2K

-24.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$80.6 ₩119.5K

40.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$117 ₩173.9K

-26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$455 ₩675.5K

35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$380 ₩564.3K

17.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,045 ₩1.5M

96.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$771 ₩1.1M

93.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$8,337 ₩12.4M

-54.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$5,314 ₩7.9M

-50.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,000 ₩1.5M

-47.63%

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: April 27, 2026

Last update for Suji-gu: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $455 in Suji-gu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suji-gu pays 91% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $54.0 in Suji-gu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $485 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 Suji-gu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Suji-gu earns 91% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $455 in Suji-gu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $422 in Suji-gu. 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 $47.00 versus $54.0 in Suji-gu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,479 in Suji-gu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Suji-gu. 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 Suji-gu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Suji-gu 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 20% less than in Suji-gu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.