Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yeosu

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,432 in Yeosu, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Yeosu despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Yeosu
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Yeosu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Yeosu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yeosu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,432 in Yeosu.

Phuket $1,207
Yeosu $1,432

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,251 in Yeosu.

Phuket $2,037
Yeosu $2,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,070 in Yeosu.

Phuket $2,867
Yeosu $3,070

Living in Phuket costs roughly 16% less than in Yeosu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Yeosu is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$5.70 ₩7,577

-19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$37.34 ₩49.7K

-13.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.80 ₩7,711

47.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.73 ₩4,960

-27.08%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.30 ₩1,734

-27.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.74 ₩979

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.81 ₩5,071

-32.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.20 ₩5,583

-8.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.05 ₩2,724

-15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.99 ₩3,978

-52.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.05 ₩4,052

-49.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.71 ₩3,606

-19.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$11.11 ₩14.8K

72.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.52 ₩14.0K

-68.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$24.57 ₩32.7K

-54.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$7.34 ₩9,759

-59.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.61 ₩4,801

-53.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$7.57 ₩10.1K

-69.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$5.85 ₩7,778

-63.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.83 ₩5,095

-60.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.28 ₩4,364

-58.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.20 ₩2,920

-49.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.11 ₩1,470

-50.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.39 ₩4,505

25.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$14.77 ₩19.6K

23.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.22 ₩2,955

-21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.27 ₩3,018

22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.11 ₩1,472

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$41.79 ₩55.6K

-47.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.85 ₩3,790

2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.78 ₩1,039

29.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.88 ₩13.1K

-61.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.15 ₩1,531

29.57%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$28.8K ₩38.3M

-7.40%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$27.4K ₩36.4M

-2.47%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$187 ₩248.1K

-46.74%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$37.11 ₩49.3K

-69.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$22.56 ₩30.0K

-23.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$51.3 ₩68.1K

2.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$12.15 ₩16.2K

-10.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$10.42 ₩13.8K

-27.35%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$368 ₩489.6K

51.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$19.0K ₩25.2M

-39.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$56.3 ₩74.9K

11.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$37.74 ₩50.2K

-24.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$74.2 ₩98.7K

29.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$111 ₩147.2K

-20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$482 ₩640.4K

51.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$356 ₩472.9K

29.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,148 ₩1.5M

82.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$750 ₩996.5K

63.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$7,212 ₩9.6M

-52.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$5,542 ₩7.4M

-55.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,150 ₩2.9M

-77.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Yeosu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Yeosu

$356 24.8% 22.7% $104

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Yeosu

$436 30.5% 63.1% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Yeosu

$246 17.2% 92.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Yeosu

$126 8.8% 1.2% $1.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Yeosu

$143 10% 18.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Yeosu

$72 5% 6.9% $4.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Yeosu

$53 3.7% 36.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $482 in Yeosu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yeosu pays 336% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $37.00 in Yeosu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $436 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇷 Yeosu

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

08:00 8:00 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

288,988

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Yeosu 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yeosu

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 Yeosu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 336% lower in Yeosu. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $482 in Yeosu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $368 in Yeosu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Yeosu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,432 in Yeosu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Yeosu. 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 Yeosu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Yeosu 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 19% less than in Yeosu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.