Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,409 in Cheongju, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Chiang Mai $936
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 34% less than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Cheongju is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.47 ₩9,963

-70.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$48.95 ₩65.3K

-61.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.88 ₩7,844

-5.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.66 ₩4,875

-54.37%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.84 ₩2,458

-65.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.40 ₩1,861

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.65 ₩4,872

-35.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.33 ₩5,776

-15.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.25 ₩3,005

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.25 ₩4,340

-55.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.05 ₩4,074

-56.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.73 ₩3,647

-16.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.16 ₩14.9K

47.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.65 ₩14.2K

-73.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$24.55 ₩32.7K

-62.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$11.40 ₩15.2K

-79.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$3.59 ₩4,786

-72.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-80.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.85 ₩7,801

-74.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$5.84 ₩7,788

-78.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$3.43 ₩4,570

-67.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.87 ₩3,828

-75.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.33 ₩1,767

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.45 ₩4,595

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$18.71 ₩25.0K

-6.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.46 ₩3,280

-34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.40 ₩4,541

-18.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.15 ₩1,527

-24.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.50 ₩4,669

-66.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.76 ₩1,014

-30.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$16.67 ₩22.2K

-85.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.36 ₩1,811

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$39.0K ₩52.1M

-46.05%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$33.7K ₩45.0M

-20.14%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$205 ₩273.1K

-69.64%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$24.30 ₩32.4K

-49.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$27.72 ₩37.0K

-27.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$53.6 ₩71.4K

-30.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.97 ₩18.6K

-73.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.81 ₩15.7K

-45.05%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$651 ₩867.5K

13.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$21.8K ₩29.1M

-32.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$36.84 ₩49.1K

44.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$65.4 ₩87.1K

-62.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$93.9 ₩125.2K

-2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$113 ₩151.0K

-36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$342 ₩456.6K

40.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$275 ₩367.1K

12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,197 ₩1.6M

-15.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$760 ₩1.0M

-16.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$7,228 ₩9.6M

-67.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$5,619 ₩7.5M

-71.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-77.43%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 10.9% $34

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 108% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 28.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 172% $162

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 108% $84

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 80.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 53.5% $27

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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $488 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

835,669

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,488 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cheongju 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cheongju

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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Cheongju. 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 77% 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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $651 in Cheongju. 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 $49 in Cheongju. 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 Cheongju are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Cheongju on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.