Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Busan and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Busan is 81.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 69.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Busan is 87.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 78.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.04 ₩10.3K
$2.01 ฿64.4
250.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.33 ₩53.4K
$18.23 ฿583
99.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.91 ₩8,691
$7.65 ฿244
-22.75%
Cappuccino
$4.14 ₩6,079
$1.92 ฿61.3
115.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 ₩2,766
$0.84 ฿26.90
123.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 ₩1,976
$0.36 ฿11.39
272.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 ₩5,515
$2.19 ฿70.0
71.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.01 ₩8,826
$3.79 ฿121
58.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 ₩3,352
$1.64 ฿52.4
39.02%
White Bread (500g)
$3.51 ₩5,160
$1.62 ฿51.8
116.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.00 ₩4,405
$1.15 ฿36.88
160.87%
Eggs
$2.90 ₩4,262
$1.94 ฿62.0
49.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.41 ₩15.3K
$15.94 ฿510
-34.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 ₩12.3K
$3.10 ฿99.2
169.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$27.50 ₩40.4K
$11.07 ฿354
148.42%
Apples (1kg)
$8.43 ₩12.4K
$2.71 ฿86.5
211.07%
Banana (1kg)
$3.27 ₩4,807
$1.18 ฿37.69
177.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.57 ₩11.1K
$1.71 ฿54.5
342.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.28 ₩7,760
$1.61 ฿51.3
227.95%
Potato (1kg)
$5.25 ₩7,712
$1.39 ฿44.53
277.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,331
$1.15 ฿36.70
156.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.09 ₩3,067
$0.71 ฿22.76
194.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 ₩1,751
$0.55 ฿17.60
116.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.39 ₩4,984
$4.57 ฿146
-25.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.15 ₩25.2K
$18.87 ฿603
-9.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ₩2,492
$1.82 ฿58.2
-6.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 ₩5,059
$3.21 ฿103
7.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₩1,650
$0.88 ฿28.16
27.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.76 ₩64.3K
$18.89 ฿604
131.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.57 ₩5,250
$1.41 ฿45.17
153.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.81 ₩1,190
$1.30 ฿41.59
-37.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.41 ₩24.1K
$8.20 ฿262
100.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ₩1,777
$1.23 ฿39.18
-1.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K ₩41.3M
$21.2K ฿677.0K
32.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K ₩36.6M
$22.3K ฿713.3K
11.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$186 ₩273.8K
$69.9 ฿2,234
166.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$49.72 ₩73.1K
$14.07 ฿450
253.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.57 ₩40.5K
$17.70 ฿566
55.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.1 ₩76.5K
$41.41 ฿1,324
25.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.25 ₩19.5K
$6.69 ฿214
98.06%
Cinema Ticket
$11.23 ₩16.5K
$5.74 ฿184
95.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$498 ₩732.5K
$299 ฿9,566
66.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K ₩20.9M
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-5.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₩152.7K
$54.8 ฿1,753
89.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.7 ₩96.6K
$26.35 ฿842
149.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.5 ₩127.2K
$84.7 ฿2,706
2.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 ₩173.2K
$69.7 ฿2,229
68.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$506 ₩744.3K
$427 ฿13.6K
18.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$318 ₩467.2K
$241 ฿7,697
32.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$989 ₩1.5M
$811 ฿25.9K
22.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$659 ₩968.4K
$498 ฿15.9K
32.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,727 ₩14.3M
$2,022 ฿64.7K
380.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,134 ₩10.5M
$1,524 ฿48.7K
368.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Busan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,446 ₩3.6M
$639 ฿20.4K
282.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
5
-15.60%

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

Last update for Busan: April 14, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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