Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suwon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,372 in Suwon, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Suwon despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Suwon
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Suwon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,372

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,372 in Suwon versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Suwon $1,372
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,163 in Suwon versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Suwon $2,163
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,954 in Suwon versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Suwon $2,954
Phuket $3,154

Living in Suwon is roughly 7% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 ₩8,118

$4.47 ฿151

35.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 ₩40.1K

$32.41 ฿1,092

-7.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ₩10.3K

$8.81 ฿297

-13.17%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ₩4,572

$2.83 ฿95.3

20.49%

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

$1.57 ₩2,100

$0.87 ฿29.37

80.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₩790

$0.49 ฿16.64

20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,136

$2.56 ฿86.2

49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 ₩6,390

$3.68 ฿124

29.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 ₩3,491

$1.66 ฿55.9

56.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ₩3,482

$1.46 ฿49.25

78.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 ₩4,510

$1.50 ฿50.4

124.00%

Eggs

$3.17 ₩4,249

$2.09 ฿70.4

51.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 ₩14.9K

$19.07 ฿642

-41.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 ₩15.6K

$3.30 ฿111

252.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.3K

$10.91 ฿368

4.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 ₩8,338

$2.93 ฿98.7

112.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 ₩3,925

$1.69 ฿56.9

73.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 ₩7,100

$2.25 ฿75.7

135.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ₩5,904

$2.08 ฿70.0

111.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 ₩4,646

$1.51 ฿50.9

129.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 ₩3,669

$1.38 ฿46.47

98.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.94 ₩6,619

$1.07 ฿35.91

361.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₩1,821

$0.52 ฿17.49

161.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ₩5,000

$4.20 ฿142

-11.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 ₩18.0K

$18.79 ฿633

-28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 ₩3,393

$1.82 ฿61.4

39.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 ₩5,169

$2.84 ฿95.7

35.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ₩1,658

$1.45 ฿48.93

-14.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.67 ₩65.2K

$56.7 ฿1,909

-14.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 ₩3,861

$3.02 ฿102

-4.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩842

$1.02 ฿34.29

-38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.98 ₩12.0K

$3.69 ฿124

143.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₩1,771

$1.47 ฿49.70

-10.20%

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

$28.7K ₩38.5M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

7.21%

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

$25.2K ₩33.8M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-5.51%

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

$186 ₩248.9K

$96.4 ฿3,247

92.72%

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

$18.20 ₩24.4K

$11.26 ฿380

61.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.99 ₩24.1K

$16.85 ฿568

6.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 ₩58.6K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-34.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₩15.8K

$10.73 ฿361

10.16%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 ₩15.0K

$7.50 ฿253

49.20%

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

$691 ₩926.5K

$476 ฿16.0K

45.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ₩24.5M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

62.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.03 ₩49.6K

$62.4 ฿2,102

-40.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$109 ₩146.5K

$28.41 ฿957

284.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₩102.5K

$94.3 ฿3,178

-18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ₩80.4K

$85.8 ฿2,892

-30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ₩587.3K

$716 ฿24.1K

-38.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ₩471.8K

$491 ฿16.5K

-28.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ₩1.6M

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-38.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₩1.1M

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-42.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ₩16.9M

$4,175 ฿140.7K

201.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,074 ₩9.5M

$3,045 ฿102.6K

132.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,638 ₩3.5M

$502 ฿16.9K

425.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for Suwon: 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

Suwon

$395 28.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 32.6% $129

Accommodation & Living

Suwon

$352 25.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 39.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suwon

$222 16.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 43.9% $97

Eating Out

Suwon

$150 10.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Suwon

$127 9.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.2% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Suwon

$66 4.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 24.4% $16

Getting Around

Suwon

$60 4.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 18.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Suwon and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suwon pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Suwon vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $395 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Suwon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

2 h behind Suwon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,203,000

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Suwon Phuket 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Suwon
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

Suwon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 7% 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 Suwon is about 5.3 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: $438 in Suwon versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Suwon versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Suwon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Suwon 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, Suwon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.