Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seogwipo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,435 in Seogwipo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Seogwipo despite lower rent and utilities.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seogwipo
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Seogwipo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,435

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seogwipo 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 Seogwipo and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,435 in Seogwipo versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Seogwipo $1,435
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,282 in Seogwipo versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Seogwipo $2,282
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,129 in Seogwipo versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Seogwipo $3,129
Phuket $3,115

Living in Seogwipo is roughly 11% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seogwipo is 6% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ₩9,804

$4.39 ฿147

66.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.72 ₩50.7K

$32.31 ฿1,078

16.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₩8,989

$8.70 ฿290

-23.10%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,931

$2.72 ฿90.9

34.93%

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

$1.54 ₩2,071

$0.93 ฿31.06

65.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩988

$0.50 ฿16.67

48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.49 ₩4,693

$2.53 ฿84.5

37.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,748

$3.63 ฿121

17.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₩2,924

$1.74 ฿58.1

25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,060

$1.45 ฿48.42

108.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₩3,592

$1.50 ฿50.1

78.00%

Eggs

$2.32 ₩3,122

$2.17 ฿72.5

6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 ₩13.7K

$19.09 ฿637

-46.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 ₩13.0K

$3.40 ฿113

183.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.92 ₩30.8K

$10.90 ฿364

110.28%

Apples (1kg)

$7.58 ₩10.2K

$2.94 ฿98.2

157.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 ₩4,343

$1.69 ฿56.5

91.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 ₩7,678

$2.19 ฿73.2

160.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 ₩7,734

$2.12 ฿70.9

171.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₩5,107

$1.46 ฿48.68

160.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 ₩3,254

$1.37 ฿45.66

76.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 ₩3,984

$1.08 ฿35.91

174.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₩1,607

$0.55 ฿18.21

118.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₩3,938

$4.43 ฿148

-33.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 ₩18.1K

$18.25 ฿609

-26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₩3,207

$1.77 ฿59.2

35.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₩4,935

$2.88 ฿96.2

27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ₩1,670

$1.45 ฿48.32

-14.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 ₩5,314

$1.51 ฿50.5

161.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₩768

$0.78 ฿25.90

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₩12.0K

$3.84 ฿128

132.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₩1,847

$1.49 ฿49.65

-8.05%

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

$29.6K ₩39.8M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

10.10%

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

$30.2K ₩40.6M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

14.71%

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

$185 ₩248.4K

$97.8 ฿3,265

89.02%

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

$38.67 ₩52.0K

$11.29 ฿377

242.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.90 ₩25.4K

$17.19 ฿574

9.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.13 ₩63.3K

$68.3 ฿2,281

-31.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.06 ₩16.2K

$10.92 ฿365

10.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.65 ₩15.7K

$7.43 ฿248

56.80%

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

$456 ₩612.8K

$530 ฿17.7K

-14.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.9M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

14.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 ₩71.3K

$61.7 ฿2,059

-13.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$28.25 ฿943

130.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 ₩113.9K

$96.0 ฿3,204

-11.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ₩123.0K

$86.8 ฿2,898

5.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ₩704.7K

$721 ฿24.1K

-27.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₩540.8K

$509 ฿17.0K

-20.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ₩1.9M

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-28.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$899 ₩1.2M

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-35.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,846 ₩10.5M

$4,192 ฿139.9K

87.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,101 ₩6.9M

$3,298 ฿110.1K

54.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,134 ₩1.5M

$492 ฿16.4K

130.60%

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 Seogwipo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seogwipo

$417 29.1%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 36% $150

Accommodation & Living

Seogwipo

$402 28.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 26.4% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seogwipo

$242 16.9%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 47.9% $116

Eating Out

Seogwipo

$158 11%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 24.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Seogwipo

$133 9.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 7.4% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Seogwipo

$70 4.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 18.1% $13

Getting Around

Seogwipo

$12 * 0.8%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 461% $54

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 $524 in Seogwipo and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seogwipo pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Seogwipo vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

2 h behind Seogwipo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,641

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.62 EUR

100 THB = 3 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,510 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.62 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seogwipo Phuket 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seogwipo
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

Seogwipo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 10% 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 Seogwipo is about 2.3 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: $524 in Seogwipo versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $456 in Seogwipo versus $530 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 $38 in Seogwipo. 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, Seogwipo 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, Seogwipo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.