Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yeosu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,432 in Yeosu, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Yeosu despite lower rent and utilities.

70

Cost of Living Index in Yeosu
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Yeosu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Yeosu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,432

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,432 in Yeosu versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Yeosu $1,432
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,251 in Yeosu versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Yeosu $2,251
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,070 in Yeosu versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Yeosu $3,070
Phuket $2,867

Living in Yeosu is roughly 19% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yeosu is 6% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.70 ₩7,577

$4.58 ฿153

24.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.34 ₩49.7K

$32.48 ฿1,086

14.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 ₩7,711

$8.55 ฿286

-32.16%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₩4,960

$2.72 ฿91.0

37.13%

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

$1.30 ₩1,734

$0.94 ฿31.25

38.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩979

$0.49 ฿16.39

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.81 ₩5,071

$2.59 ฿86.6

47.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₩5,583

$3.83 ฿128

9.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,724

$1.74 ฿58.1

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 ₩3,978

$1.43 ฿47.82

109.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,052

$1.53 ฿51.0

99.35%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,606

$2.17 ฿72.7

24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₩14.8K

$19.15 ฿640

-41.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₩14.0K

$3.30 ฿110

218.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.57 ₩32.7K

$11.14 ฿372

120.56%

Apples (1kg)

$7.34 ₩9,759

$2.95 ฿98.5

148.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,801

$1.68 ฿56.1

114.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.57 ₩10.1K

$2.30 ฿76.8

229.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,778

$2.13 ฿71.3

174.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.83 ₩5,095

$1.53 ฿51.1

150.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₩4,364

$1.36 ฿45.55

141.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 ₩2,920

$1.12 ฿37.44

96.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,470

$0.55 ฿18.24

101.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ₩4,505

$4.26 ฿142

-20.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 ₩19.6K

$18.19 ฿608

-18.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,955

$1.74 ฿58.2

27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,018

$2.79 ฿93.3

-18.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$2.22 ฿74.1

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.79 ₩55.6K

$22.06 ฿737

89.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 ₩3,790

$2.91 ฿97.3

-2.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,039

$1.01 ฿33.79

-22.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.88 ₩13.1K

$3.83 ฿128

157.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₩1,531

$1.49 ฿49.85

-22.82%

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

$28.8K ₩38.3M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

7.99%

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

$27.4K ₩36.4M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

2.53%

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

$187 ₩248.1K

$99.4 ฿3,321

87.77%

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

$37.11 ₩49.3K

$11.28 ฿377

228.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.56 ₩30.0K

$17.36 ฿580

29.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ₩68.1K

$52.3 ฿1,747

-1.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.15 ₩16.2K

$10.85 ฿362

11.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 ₩13.8K

$7.57 ฿253

37.65%

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

$368 ₩489.6K

$558 ฿18.7K

-34.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K ₩25.2M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

65.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 ₩74.9K

$62.9 ฿2,102

-10.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 ₩50.2K

$28.58 ฿955

32.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ₩98.7K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-22.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.2K

$88.1 ฿2,943

25.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₩640.4K

$729 ฿24.4K

-33.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₩472.9K

$460 ฿15.4K

-22.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 ₩1.5M

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-45.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 ₩996.5K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-38.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,212 ₩9.6M

$3,459 ฿115.6K

108.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,542 ₩7.4M

$2,489 ฿83.2K

122.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,150 ₩2.9M

$493 ฿16.5K

336.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Yeosu: 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

Yeosu

$436 30.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 38.7% $169

Accommodation & Living

Yeosu

$356 24.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 29.3% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yeosu

$246 17.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 48% $118

Eating Out

Yeosu

$143 10%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 15.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Yeosu

$126 8.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1.2% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Yeosu

$72 5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 6.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Yeosu

$53 3.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 26.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Yeosu and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yeosu pays 336% 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: $37.00 in Yeosu vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Yeosu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

2 h behind Yeosu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

288,988

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 17, 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 17, 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

Yeosu Phuket 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Yeosu
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

Yeosu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 336% higher in Yeosu, 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: $482 in Yeosu versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $368 in Yeosu versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Yeosu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,432 in Yeosu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Yeosu. 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 Yeosu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Yeosu 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 19% less than in Yeosu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.