Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boryeong and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,491 in Boryeong, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Boryeong
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Boryeong Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Boryeong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,491

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Boryeong and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Boryeong and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,491 in Boryeong versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Boryeong $1,491
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,407 in Boryeong versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Boryeong $2,407
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Boryeong versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Boryeong $3,324
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Boryeong is roughly 59% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boryeong is 10% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.93 ₩12.0K

$2.24 ฿75.7

298.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 ₩91.4K

$19.00 ฿642

258.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 ₩9,826

$5.55 ฿188

31.89%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,473

$1.67 ฿56.6

144.31%

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

$1.56 ₩2,096

$0.64 ฿21.56

143.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₩1,002

$0.31 ฿10.32

141.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ₩5,062

$2.36 ฿79.6

59.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ₩7,862

$3.66 ฿124

59.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 ₩2,845

$1.95 ฿65.8

8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 ₩4,228

$1.44 ฿48.51

118.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 ₩5,623

$1.33 ฿45.07

215.04%

Eggs

$3.53 ₩4,734

$2.28 ฿77.1

54.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ₩24.0K

$16.45 ฿556

8.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.3K

$2.78 ฿94.0

282.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.69 ₩35.8K

$9.31 ฿314

186.68%

Apples (1kg)

$7.90 ₩10.6K

$2.35 ฿79.5

236.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,545

$0.97 ฿32.82

248.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.76 ₩7,735

$1.60 ฿53.9

260.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.16 ₩8,270

$1.50 ฿50.7

310.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ₩4,945

$1.28 ฿43.15

187.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ₩3,519

$1.10 ฿37.22

138.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,927

$0.71 ฿23.84

311.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,532

$0.49 ฿16.38

132.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ₩4,671

$4.14 ฿140

-15.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$17.52 ฿592

5.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,060

$1.61 ฿54.5

41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ₩4,389

$2.78 ฿94.0

17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ₩1,558

$0.87 ฿29.33

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ₩4,899

$1.16 ฿39.08

214.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩863

$0.53 ฿17.82

20.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 ₩11.7K

$2.42 ฿81.8

261.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,952

$1.45 ฿48.93

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

$29.2K ₩39.2M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

38.63%

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

$28.5K ₩38.3M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

5.97%

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

$212 ₩285.3K

$62.2 ฿2,100

241.69%

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

$35.99 ₩48.3K

$12.17 ฿411

195.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 ₩27.7K

$20.12 ฿680

2.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ₩72.8K

$37.31 ฿1,260

45.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.07 ₩18.9K

$3.77 ฿127

273.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$6.49 ฿219

71.65%

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

$379 ₩509.4K

$736 ฿24.9K

-48.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

52.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 ₩78.6K

$53.4 ฿1,802

9.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.86 ₩44.1K

$24.64 ฿832

33.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 ₩93.1K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-24.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ₩112.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₩656.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩484.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

16.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 ₩1.6M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₩1.0M

$633 ฿21.4K

19.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,113 ₩9.6M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

201.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,616 ₩7.5M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

253.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,484 ₩2.0M

$590 ฿19.9K

151.72%

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 Boryeong: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Boryeong

$481 32.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 51.2% $246

Accommodation & Living

Boryeong

$361 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 14.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boryeong

$269 18%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.9% $175

Eating Out

Boryeong

$182 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 57.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Boryeong

$110 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.4% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Boryeong

$77 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.3% $26

Getting Around

Boryeong

$12 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 433% $50

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 $489 in Boryeong and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boryeong pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Boryeong vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $481 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Boryeong

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

2 h behind Boryeong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,620

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boryeong Chiang Mai 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Boryeong
Chiang Mai

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

Boryeong vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boryeong and Chiang Mai differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,491 vs $936 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Boryeong is about 2.5 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: $489 in Boryeong versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $379 in Boryeong versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $68 in Boryeong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Boryeong and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Boryeong on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.