Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheonan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,467 in Cheonan, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
Learn more

Cheonan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cheonan 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 Cheonan and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,467 per month in Cheonan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cheonan $1,467
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,259 per month in Cheonan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cheonan $2,259
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,051 per month in Cheonan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cheonan $3,051
Chiang Mai $1,914

Cheonan costs about 56% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cheonan sits 9% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 ₩10.0K

$2.26 ฿75.4

233.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.63 ₩30.1K

$19.18 ฿641

17.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 ₩5,693

$5.59 ฿187

-23.43%

Cappuccino

$1.47 ₩1,951

$1.72 ฿57.6

-14.53%

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

$1.16 ₩1,538

$0.64 ฿21.54

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,867

$0.33 ฿11.18

324.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ₩3,031

$2.36 ฿78.7

-3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,853

$3.90 ฿130

12.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₩2,125

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,287

$1.40 ฿46.70

130.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,078

$1.28 ฿42.89

139.84%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,476

$2.25 ฿75.3

16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ₩14.9K

$16.94 ฿566

-33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.8K

$2.74 ฿91.6

278.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.11 ₩33.4K

$9.36 ฿313

168.27%

Apples (1kg)

$11.23 ₩14.9K

$2.40 ฿80.3

367.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.73 ₩4,965

$1.01 ฿33.92

269.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.07 ₩10.7K

$1.61 ฿53.9

401.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 ₩8,035

$1.52 ฿50.7

297.37%

Potato (1kg)

$6.10 ₩8,106

$1.28 ฿42.90

376.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₩4,438

$1.11 ฿37.22

200.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 ₩3,651

$0.72 ฿24.09

281.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,765

$0.52 ฿17.54

155.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₩4,494

$4.33 ฿145

-21.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.30 ₩24.3K

$17.73 ฿593

3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₩3,229

$1.63 ฿54.4

49.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,454

$2.85 ฿95.3

17.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,509

$0.85 ฿28.31

34.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 ₩4,050

$1.17 ฿39.18

160.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,036

$0.57 ฿19.00

36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.69 ₩22.2K

$2.37 ฿79.2

604.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,650

$1.45 ฿48.32

-14.48%

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

$29.7K ₩39.5M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

45.27%

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

$34.2K ₩45.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

29.03%

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

$199 ₩264.9K

$62.3 ฿2,083

219.59%

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

$35.67 ₩47.4K

$12.27 ฿410

190.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.08 ₩36.0K

$19.97 ฿668

35.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$37.91 ฿1,267

36.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.77 ₩15.6K

$3.76 ฿126

213.03%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 ₩16.1K

$6.71 ฿224

80.77%

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

$636 ₩845.7K

$797 ฿26.6K

-20.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.6M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

44.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 ₩88.0K

$53.3 ฿1,780

24.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 ₩79.1K

$25.05 ฿837

137.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 ₩123.1K

$91.6 ฿3,062

1.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩168.9K

$73.5 ฿2,455

72.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩636.1K

$464 ฿15.5K

3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩479.5K

$305 ฿10.2K

18.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 ₩1.5M

$915 ฿30.6K

25.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩982.3K

$552 ฿18.5K

33.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,244 ₩9.6M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

278.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,422 ₩7.2M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

276.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,824 ₩2.4M

$595 ฿19.9K

206.47%

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 Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cheonan

$480 32.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 50.4% $242

Accommodation & Living

Cheonan

$361 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 15.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheonan

$262 17.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 63.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Cheonan

$155 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 29.5% $46

Eating Out

Cheonan

$121 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 34.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Cheonan

$76 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 32.3% $25

Getting Around

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 434% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Cheonan versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 206% higher in Cheonan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Cheonan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

00:08 12:08 AM

2 h behind Cheonan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,486

127,240

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cheonan Chiang Mai 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cheonan
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

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

Cheonan costs about 56% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,200 per month in Cheonan and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,467 in Cheonan and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 56%.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Cheonan and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Cheonan at $1,467. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheonan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,467 in Cheonan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cheonan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.