Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulsan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,339 in Ulsan, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Ulsan despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,339 in Ulsan versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ulsan $1,339
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Ulsan versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ulsan $2,185
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,030 in Ulsan versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ulsan $3,030
Phuket $2,867

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulsan 1% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 ₩10.1K

$4.58 ฿153

66.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 ₩59.3K

$32.48 ฿1,086

37.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 ₩7,882

$8.55 ฿286

-30.64%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ₩4,410

$2.72 ฿91.0

22.06%

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

$0.88 ₩1,175

$0.94 ฿31.25

-6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₩619

$0.49 ฿16.39

-4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₩4,006

$2.59 ฿86.6

16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₩5,826

$3.83 ฿128

14.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,139

$1.74 ฿58.1

35.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,315

$1.43 ฿47.82

127.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,207

$1.53 ฿51.0

106.54%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$2.17 ฿72.7

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.5K

$19.15 ฿640

-43.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$3.30 ฿110

222.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.54 ₩32.6K

$11.14 ฿372

120.29%

Apples (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$2.95 ฿98.5

286.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.74 ₩4,975

$1.68 ฿56.1

122.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 ₩10.8K

$2.30 ฿76.8

251.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 ₩8,048

$2.13 ฿71.3

184.04%

Potato (1kg)

$6.01 ₩7,992

$1.53 ฿51.1

292.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,328

$1.36 ฿45.55

139.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 ₩3,844

$1.12 ฿37.44

158.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,707

$0.55 ฿18.24

132.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₩4,154

$4.26 ฿142

-26.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.52 ₩24.6K

$18.19 ฿608

1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₩3,264

$1.74 ฿58.2

40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ₩4,577

$2.79 ฿93.3

23.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,511

$2.22 ฿74.1

-48.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 ₩3,849

$2.91 ฿97.3

-0.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,040

$1.01 ฿33.79

-22.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.96 ₩22.6K

$3.83 ฿128

342.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,899

$1.49 ฿49.85

-4.03%

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

$30.0K ₩39.9M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

12.50%

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

$34.1K ₩45.4M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

27.79%

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

$197 ₩261.8K

$99.4 ฿3,321

98.14%

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

$37.06 ₩49.3K

$11.28 ฿377

228.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.21 ₩36.2K

$17.36 ฿580

56.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ₩80.3K

$52.3 ฿1,747

15.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$7.57 ฿253

36.06%

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

$263 ₩349.3K

$558 ฿18.7K

-52.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

91.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₩68.5K

$62.9 ฿2,102

-18.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 ₩60.6K

$28.58 ฿955

59.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ₩81.2K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-36.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ₩99.7K

$88.1 ฿2,943

-14.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩495.3K

$729 ฿24.4K

-48.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ₩324.7K

$460 ฿15.4K

-46.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-63.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₩861.8K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-46.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,483 ₩6.0M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

29.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,479 ₩3.3M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-0.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,331 ₩3.1M

$493 ฿16.5K

372.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.57

-24.24%

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

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ulsan

$489 36.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 45.3% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulsan

$261 19.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 51% $133

Accommodation & Living

Ulsan

$244 18.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 88.4% $216

Eating Out

Ulsan

$148 11%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 17.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Ulsan

$105 7.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ulsan

$81 6.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 16.8% $14

Getting Around

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 243% $28

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 $373 in Ulsan and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulsan pays 373% 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: $45.00 in Ulsan vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

2 h behind Ulsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,129,827

79,308

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ulsan Phuket 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulsan
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

Ulsan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 373% higher in Ulsan, 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: $373 in Ulsan versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Ulsan versus $558 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 $32.00 versus $45.00 in Ulsan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,339 in Ulsan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ulsan. 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 Ulsan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ulsan and Phuket 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 11% less than in Ulsan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.