Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cheonan

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
Learn more

Cheonan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Chiang Mai $938
Cheonan $1,467

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

Chiang Mai $1,426
Cheonan $2,259

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

Chiang Mai $1,914
Cheonan $3,051

Chiang Mai is about 36% cheaper than Cheonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.53 ₩10.0K

-69.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$22.63 ₩30.1K

-15.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.28 ₩5,693

30.61%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.47 ₩1,951

17.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.16 ₩1,538

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.40 ₩1,867

-76.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.28 ₩3,031

3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.40 ₩5,853

-11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.60 ₩2,125

28.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.22 ₩4,287

-56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.07 ₩4,078

-58.31%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.61 ₩3,476

-13.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.19 ₩14.9K

51.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$10.38 ₩13.8K

-73.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$25.11 ₩33.4K

-62.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$11.23 ₩14.9K

-78.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$3.73 ₩4,965

-72.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$8.07 ₩10.7K

-80.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$6.04 ₩8,035

-74.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$6.10 ₩8,106

-79.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$3.34 ₩4,438

-66.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.75 ₩3,651

-73.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.33 ₩1,765

-60.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.38 ₩4,494

28.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$18.30 ₩24.3K

-3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.43 ₩3,229

-32.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.35 ₩4,454

-14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.14 ₩1,509

-25.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.05 ₩4,050

-61.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.78 ₩1,036

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$16.69 ₩22.2K

-85.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.24 ₩1,650

16.94%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-31.16%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$34.2K ₩45.5M

-22.50%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$199 ₩264.9K

-68.71%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$35.67 ₩47.4K

-65.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$27.08 ₩36.0K

-26.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$51.6 ₩68.6K

-26.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$11.77 ₩15.6K

-68.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$12.13 ₩16.1K

-44.68%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$636 ₩845.7K

25.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$21.5K ₩28.6M

-31.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$66.2 ₩88.0K

-19.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$59.5 ₩79.1K

-57.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$92.6 ₩123.1K

-1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$127 ₩168.9K

-42.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$478 ₩636.1K

-3.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$361 ₩479.5K

-15.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,153 ₩1.5M

-20.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$739 ₩982.3K

-25.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$7,244 ₩9.6M

-73.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$5,422 ₩7.2M

-73.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,824 ₩2.4M

-67.37%

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 Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Cheonan

$361 24.6% 18.4% $56

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Cheonan

$480 32.8% 102% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Cheonan

$155 10.6% 41.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Cheonan

$262 17.9% 177% $167

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Cheonan

$121 8.3% 53.3% $42

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8% 81.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cheonan

$76 5.2% 47.7% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $478 in Cheonan. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $23.00 in Cheonan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $480 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

658,486

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Cheonan

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 Cheonan: 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,200 in Cheonan. 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 $938 in Chiang Mai and $1,467 in Cheonan. That's a gap of about 56%.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $636 in Cheonan. 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.