Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,418 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Seongnam despite lower rent and utilities.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,418 in Seongnam versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Seongnam $1,418
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,361 in Seongnam versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Seongnam $2,361
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,305 in Seongnam versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Seongnam $3,305
Phuket $3,154

Living in Seongnam 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: Seongnam is 4% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 ₩9,271

$4.47 ฿151

55.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.62 ₩55.5K

$32.41 ฿1,094

28.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 ₩9,112

$8.81 ฿297

-22.47%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,372

$2.83 ฿95.4

42.40%

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

$1.56 ₩2,077

$0.87 ฿29.42

79.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₩1,008

$0.49 ฿16.66

55.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 ₩4,709

$2.56 ฿86.3

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,079

$3.68 ฿124

3.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,081

$1.66 ฿56.0

39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₩4,244

$1.46 ฿49.32

117.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,945

$1.50 ฿50.5

147.33%

Eggs

$3.67 ₩4,890

$2.09 ฿70.5

75.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 ₩12.2K

$19.07 ฿643

-52.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 ₩10.7K

$3.30 ฿111

143.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.41 ₩27.2K

$10.91 ฿368

87.08%

Apples (1kg)

$7.56 ₩10.1K

$2.93 ฿98.9

158.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,747

$1.69 ฿57.0

110.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.65 ₩7,532

$2.25 ฿75.8

151.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 ₩9,088

$2.08 ฿70.1

227.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,008

$1.51 ฿51.0

149.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ₩3,498

$1.38 ฿46.54

89.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 ₩3,911

$1.07 ฿35.97

173.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,795

$0.52 ฿17.51

159.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ₩4,638

$4.20 ฿142

-17.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 ₩25.3K

$18.79 ฿634

0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₩2,798

$1.82 ฿61.5

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₩2,571

$2.84 ฿95.9

-32.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,452

$1.45 ฿49.00

-24.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ₩4,864

$3.02 ฿102

20.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩892

$1.02 ฿34.34

-34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$3.69 ฿125

137.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₩1,855

$1.47 ฿49.78

-5.44%

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

$30.0K ₩40.0M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

11.95%

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

$28.1K ₩37.4M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

5.13%

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

$215 ₩286.6K

$96.4 ฿3,252

123.05%

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

$36.76 ₩49.0K

$11.26 ฿380

226.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.23 ₩28.3K

$16.85 ฿569

25.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩73.4K

$67.2 ฿2,269

-18.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 ₩18.8K

$10.73 ฿362

31.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.2K

$7.50 ฿253

51.73%

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

$379 ₩505.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

-20.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K ₩24.1M

$11.3K ฿380.1K

60.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 ₩76.9K

$62.4 ฿2,105

-7.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.54 ₩43.4K

$28.41 ฿959

14.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₩95.2K

$94.3 ฿3,182

-24.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 ₩112.6K

$85.8 ฿2,896

-1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 ₩650.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-31.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₩480.4K

$491 ฿16.6K

-26.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₩1.5M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 ₩1.4M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-26.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,247 ₩9.7M

$4,175 ฿140.9K

73.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,589 ₩7.5M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

83.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.57

-26.75%

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

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seongnam

$426 30%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 37.5% $159

Accommodation & Living

Seongnam

$360 25.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 36.3% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seongnam

$273 19.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.4% $148

Eating Out

Seongnam

$159 11.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Seongnam

$111 7.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seongnam

$78 5.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 5.7% $4.4

Getting Around

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 522% $59

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 $488 in Seongnam and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42 in Seongnam vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $426 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

2 h behind Seongnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

967,510

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seongnam Phuket 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seongnam
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

Seongnam 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.

You’d need roughly $2,127 in Seongnam and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $488 in Seongnam versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $379 in Seongnam 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 $42 in Seongnam. 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, Seongnam and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.