Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Boryeong

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Boryeong
Learn more

Boryeong Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Boryeong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Chiang Mai $936
Boryeong $1,491

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

Chiang Mai $1,457
Boryeong $2,407

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

Chiang Mai $1,979
Boryeong $3,324

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 37% less than in Boryeong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.93 ₩12.0K

-74.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$68.1 ₩91.4K

-72.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.32 ₩9,826

-24.18%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.08 ₩5,473

-59.07%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.56 ₩2,096

-58.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.75 ₩1,002

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.77 ₩5,062

-37.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.85 ₩7,862

-37.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.12 ₩2,845

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.15 ₩4,228

-54.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$4.19 ₩5,623

-68.26%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.53 ₩4,734

-35.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$17.85 ₩24.0K

-7.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$10.63 ₩14.3K

-73.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$26.69 ₩35.8K

-65.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$7.90 ₩10.6K

-70.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.38 ₩4,545

-71.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$5.76 ₩7,735

-72.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$6.16 ₩8,270

-75.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.68 ₩4,945

-65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.62 ₩3,519

-58.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.92 ₩3,927

-75.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.14 ₩1,532

-57.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.48 ₩4,671

18.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$18.49 ₩24.8K

-5.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.28 ₩3,060

-29.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.27 ₩4,389

-14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.16 ₩1,558

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.65 ₩4,899

-68.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.64 ₩863

-17.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.75 ₩11.7K

-72.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.45 ₩1,952

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$29.2K ₩39.2M

-27.86%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$28.5K ₩38.3M

-5.63%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$212 ₩285.3K

-70.73%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$35.99 ₩48.3K

-66.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.61 ₩27.7K

-2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$54.2 ₩72.8K

-31.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.07 ₩18.9K

-73.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.14 ₩15.0K

-41.74%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$379 ₩509.4K

94.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$22.5K ₩30.2M

-34.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$58.5 ₩78.6K

-8.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$32.86 ₩44.1K

-25.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$69.3 ₩93.1K

31.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$84.1 ₩112.9K

-14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$489 ₩656.2K

-1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$361 ₩484.9K

-14.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,184 ₩1.6M

-15.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$758 ₩1.0M

-16.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$7,113 ₩9.6M

-66.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$5,616 ₩7.5M

-71.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,484 ₩2.0M

-60.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.08

36.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Boryeong: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Boryeong

$361 24.2% 16.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Boryeong

$481 32.2% 105% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Boryeong

$110 7.4% 1.4% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Boryeong

$269 18% 185% $175

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Boryeong

$182 12.2% 135% $105

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Boryeong

$12 * 0.8% 81.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Boryeong

$77 5.1% 52.2% $26

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 $482 in Chiang Mai and $489 in Boryeong. 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: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $68 in Boryeong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $481 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Boryeong

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

103,620

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Boryeong

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

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

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

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $489 in Boryeong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $379 in Boryeong. 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, Chiang Mai and Boryeong 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.