Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sacheon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,433 in Sacheon, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Sacheon despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sacheon
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Sacheon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sacheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,433

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sacheon and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sacheon and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,433 in Sacheon versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sacheon $1,433
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,223 in Sacheon versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sacheon $2,223
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,013 in Sacheon versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sacheon $3,013
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sacheon is roughly 12% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sacheon is 5% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ₩10.3K

$4.47 ฿151

72.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.45 ₩47.5K

$32.41 ฿1,092

9.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,736

$8.81 ฿297

-25.99%

Cappuccino

$3.77 ₩5,048

$2.83 ฿95.3

33.22%

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

$1.54 ₩2,058

$0.87 ฿29.37

77.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₩932

$0.49 ฿16.64

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 ₩4,710

$2.56 ฿86.2

37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₩5,890

$3.68 ฿124

19.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ₩2,974

$1.66 ฿55.9

33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,314

$1.46 ฿49.25

120.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 ₩3,758

$1.50 ฿50.4

86.67%

Eggs

$2.82 ₩3,785

$2.09 ฿70.4

34.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.03 ₩14.8K

$19.07 ฿642

-42.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 ₩10.7K

$3.30 ฿111

141.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.97 ₩28.1K

$10.91 ฿368

92.21%

Apples (1kg)

$7.52 ₩10.1K

$2.93 ฿98.7

156.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.42 ₩4,587

$1.69 ฿56.9

102.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 ₩8,858

$2.25 ฿75.7

193.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 ₩8,074

$2.08 ฿70.0

189.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ₩4,936

$1.51 ฿50.9

143.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,448

$1.38 ฿46.47

86.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,730

$1.07 ฿35.91

159.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,795

$0.52 ฿17.49

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.47 ₩4,653

$4.20 ฿142

-17.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.05 ₩25.5K

$18.79 ฿633

1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,075

$1.82 ฿61.4

25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₩4,725

$2.84 ฿95.7

24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,469

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 ₩4,473

$3.02 ฿102

10.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩816

$1.02 ฿34.29

-40.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ₩11.8K

$3.69 ฿124

139.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ₩1,799

$1.47 ฿49.70

-8.84%

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

$29.3K ₩39.2M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

9.24%

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

$33.9K ₩45.4M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

26.86%

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

$209 ₩280.0K

$96.4 ฿3,247

116.83%

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

$36.36 ₩48.7K

$11.26 ฿380

222.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$16.85 ฿568

25.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 ₩72.0K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-20.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.37 ₩19.3K

$10.73 ฿361

33.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.3K

$7.50 ฿253

51.73%

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

$381 ₩510.9K

$476 ฿16.0K

-19.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.2M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

93.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ₩84.7K

$62.4 ฿2,102

1.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 ₩82.6K

$28.41 ฿957

116.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ₩98.7K

$94.3 ฿3,178

-21.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.2 ₩131.6K

$85.8 ฿2,892

14.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ₩656.9K

$716 ฿24.1K

-31.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₩477.6K

$491 ฿16.5K

-27.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₩1.6M

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-39.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₩986.1K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-48.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,276 ₩9.8M

$4,175 ฿140.7K

74.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,566 ₩7.5M

$3,045 ฿102.6K

82.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,512 ₩2.0M

$502 ฿16.9K

201.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

5.57

-26.39%

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

Last update for Sacheon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sacheon

$427 29.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 37.7% $161

Accommodation & Living

Sacheon

$356 24.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 37.8% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sacheon

$266 18.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53.3% $142

Eating Out

Sacheon

$162 11.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Sacheon

$133 9.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sacheon

$76 5.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 7.5% $5.8

Getting Around

Sacheon

$11 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 555% $60

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 $490 in Sacheon and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sacheon pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Sacheon vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $427 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Sacheon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

2 h behind Sacheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,500

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sacheon Phuket 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sacheon
Phuket

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

Sacheon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sacheon is about 3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $490 in Sacheon versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $381 in Sacheon versus $476 in Phuket. 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 Sacheon. 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, Sacheon and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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