Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,628 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Busan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,628 in Busan.

Chiang Mai $938
Busan $1,628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $2,543 in Busan.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Busan $2,543

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $3,457 in Busan.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Busan $3,457

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 42% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 30% below, Busan is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.58 ₩10.1K

-70.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$49.48 ₩65.8K

-61.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.56 ₩8,717

-14.79%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.67 ₩4,882

-53.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.85 ₩2,459

-65.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.44 ₩1,911

-77.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.77 ₩5,008

-37.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.28 ₩5,696

-8.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.36 ₩3,137

-13.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.26 ₩4,340

-57.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.15 ₩4,193

-59.37%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.64 ₩3,509

-14.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$10.84 ₩14.4K

56.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$10.57 ₩14.1K

-74.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$25.32 ₩33.7K

-63.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$11.22 ₩14.9K

-78.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$3.64 ₩4,837

-72.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$8.21 ₩10.9K

-80.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$5.84 ₩7,763

-73.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$5.89 ₩7,831

-78.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$3.28 ₩4,357

-66.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.78 ₩3,696

-74.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.28 ₩1,707

-59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.35 ₩4,458

29.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$18.91 ₩25.1K

-6.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.39 ₩3,181

-31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.52 ₩4,679

-19.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.14 ₩1,515

-25.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$60.7 ₩80.8K

-11.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.58 ₩4,759

-67.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.74 ₩984

-22.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$17.18 ₩22.8K

-86.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.35 ₩1,793

7.41%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$29.1K ₩38.7M

-29.62%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.1K ₩44.0M

-19.88%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$202 ₩268.2K

-69.10%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$37.03 ₩49.2K

-66.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$27.43 ₩36.5K

-27.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$63.2 ₩84.0K

-39.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$10.04 ₩13.4K

-62.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.93 ₩15.9K

-43.76%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$639 ₩850.3K

24.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$22.0K ₩29.2M

-32.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$103 ₩136.9K

-48.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$64.7 ₩86.1K

-61.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$129 ₩171.4K

-43.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$712 ₩946.6K

-34.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$374 ₩497.5K

-18.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,304 ₩1.7M

-29.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$718 ₩955.1K

-23.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$9,884 ₩13.1M

-80.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$6,279 ₩8.3M

-77.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,790 ₩3.7M

-78.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.22

31.99%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Busan

$374 23% 22.8% $70

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Busan

$488 30% 105% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Busan

$175 10.8% 60% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Busan

$266 16.4% 181% $172

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Busan

$165 10.1% 109% $86

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Busan

$73 4.5% 18.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Busan

$87 5.3% 69.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $712 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 369% 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: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $49.00 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $488 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Busan 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Busan

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 Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 369% lower in Busan. 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $712 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 13% less than in Busan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $639 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,628 in Busan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Busan 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 Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Busan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.