Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gimcheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,437 in Gimcheon, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Gimcheon
Learn more

Gimcheon Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gimcheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,437 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gimcheon $1,437

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,340 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gimcheon $2,340

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,242 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gimcheon $3,242

Chiang Mai is about 35% cheaper than Gimcheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Gimcheon is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.90 ₩7,917

-62.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$34.08 ₩45.8K

-44.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.62 ₩8,895

-16.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.59 ₩4,817

-53.48%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.60 ₩2,142

-60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.63 ₩846

-50.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.40 ₩4,565

-30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.61 ₩6,186

-20.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.32 ₩3,109

-15.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.21 ₩4,309

-55.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.24 ₩3,011

-40.63%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.39 ₩4,549

-32.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$15.60 ₩21.0K

5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.82 ₩10.5K

-64.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.25 ₩15.1K

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$7.61 ₩10.2K

-69.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.34 ₩4,491

-70.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.73 ₩10.4K

-79.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$6.84 ₩9,182

-78.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.43 ₩4,603

-62.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.38 ₩3,192

-53.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.12 ₩2,845

-66.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.35 ₩1,807

-63.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.42 ₩4,586

21.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$18.52 ₩24.9K

-5.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.23 ₩2,989

-27.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.86 ₩5,183

-27.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.12 ₩1,498

-22.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.04 ₩4,082

-61.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.65 ₩878

-18.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.92 ₩12.0K

-72.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.11 ₩1,492

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$29.3K ₩39.4M

-28.15%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$35.5K ₩47.7M

-24.17%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$209 ₩281.1K

-70.30%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$42.72 ₩57.4K

-71.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.99 ₩28.2K

-4.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$52.9 ₩71.0K

-29.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.50 ₩18.1K

-72.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.21 ₩15.1K

-42.11%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$304 ₩407.8K

142.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$18.1K ₩24.4M

-18.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$66.4 ₩89.2K

-19.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$63.2 ₩84.9K

-61.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$74.4 ₩99.9K

22.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$100 ₩134.9K

-28.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$499 ₩670.5K

-3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$379 ₩509.3K

-18.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,349 ₩1.8M

-25.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,020 ₩1.4M

-37.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$8,129 ₩10.9M

-70.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$5,412 ₩7.3M

-70.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,915 ₩2.6M

-69.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.1

35.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gimcheon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gimcheon

$379 26.4% 22.8% $70

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gimcheon

$416 29% 77.6% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gimcheon

$137 9.5% 26.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gimcheon

$273 19% 189% $179

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gimcheon

$145 10.1% 87.2% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gimcheon

$11 * 0.8% 82.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gimcheon

$75 5.2% 49.8% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $499 in Gimcheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gimcheon are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Gimcheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $416 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Gimcheon

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

143,056

💱 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 = 37.58 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 = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gimcheon 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gimcheon

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 Gimcheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gimcheon costs about 54% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,155 in Gimcheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $499 in Gimcheon. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $34 in Gimcheon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Gimcheon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,437 in Gimcheon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,437 in Gimcheon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Gimcheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.