Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gimhae

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,553 in Gimhae, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
Learn more

Gimhae Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,553 in Gimhae, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Gimhae $1,553

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,462 in Gimhae, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Gimhae $2,462

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,371 in Gimhae, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Gimhae $3,371

Chiang Mai is about 40% cheaper than Gimhae, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Gimhae is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$7.61 ₩10.2K

-72.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$49.21 ₩66.0K

-62.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.69 ₩8,970

-16.29%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.76 ₩5,037

-55.85%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.87 ₩2,510

-65.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$1.39 ₩1,865

-78.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$3.76 ₩5,041

-38.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.39 ₩5,882

-16.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.31 ₩3,102

-12.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.24 ₩4,344

-56.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$3.05 ₩4,093

-54.43%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.61 ₩3,504

-9.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$11.14 ₩14.9K

48.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$10.49 ₩14.1K

-74.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$24.45 ₩32.8K

-63.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$10.94 ₩14.7K

-78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$3.55 ₩4,758

-70.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$8.18 ₩11.0K

-79.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$5.84 ₩7,826

-73.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$6.03 ₩8,079

-79.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$3.29 ₩4,415

-66.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.75 ₩3,686

-72.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.33 ₩1,785

-61.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.26 ₩4,373

26.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$18.65 ₩25.0K

-3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$2.37 ₩3,174

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.53 ₩4,732

-20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.21 ₩1,621

-23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$3.47 ₩4,653

-65.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.67 ₩895

-74.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$14.75 ₩19.8K

-87.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.27 ₩1,707

15.75%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$39.7K ₩53.2M

-47.01%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$33.4K ₩44.8M

-20.67%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$195 ₩261.8K

-67.96%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$36.82 ₩49.4K

-68.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$27.09 ₩36.3K

-25.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$46.27 ₩62.0K

-18.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.19 ₩20.4K

-75.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$11.94 ₩16.0K

-45.48%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$630 ₩844.4K

15.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$21.8K ₩29.2M

-23.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$102 ₩137.1K

-47.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$65.1 ₩87.2K

-61.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$93.9 ₩125.9K

-3.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$127 ₩169.9K

-43.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$505 ₩676.3K

-4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$388 ₩519.8K

-20.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,203 ₩1.6M

-12.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$801 ₩1.1M

-17.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$7,801 ₩10.5M

-69.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$5,673 ₩7.6M

-71.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$2,533 ₩3.4M

-76.52%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Gimhae: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Gimhae

$388 25% 25.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Gimhae

$483 31.1% 104% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Gimhae

$175 11.2% 61.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gimhae

$259 16.7% 174% $165

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Gimhae

$167 10.7% 118% $90

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Gimhae

$12 * 0.8% 80.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Gimhae

$70 4.5% 37.8% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $505 in Gimhae. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gimhae are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $49 in Gimhae. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $483 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

532,132

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gimhae 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gimhae

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 Gimhae: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gimhae costs about 66% 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 $2,330 in Gimhae. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $505 in Gimhae. 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 $49 in Gimhae. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Gimhae, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,553 in Gimhae. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,553 in Gimhae. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gimhae makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.