Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gyeongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,236 in Gyeongju, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
Learn more

Gyeongju Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,236 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Gyeongju $1,236

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,053 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Gyeongju $2,053

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,871 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Gyeongju $2,871

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Gyeongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Gyeongju are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Gyeongju 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$7.38 ₩9,898

-71.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$47.59 ₩63.8K

-60.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.45 ₩8,652

-13.18%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.99 ₩4,005

-44.48%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.13 ₩1,518

-42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.36 ₩482

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.62 ₩3,507

-11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.21 ₩5,640

-12.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.33 ₩3,117

-13.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$2.53 ₩3,394

-44.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$3.07 ₩4,122

-54.72%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.57 ₩3,450

-7.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$10.82 ₩14.5K

52.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$10.34 ₩13.9K

-74.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$18.74 ₩25.1K

-51.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$4.42 ₩5,930

-45.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$2.67 ₩3,577

-61.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$3.73 ₩5,003

-55.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$3.65 ₩4,896

-57.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$2.54 ₩3,406

-51.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$2.27 ₩3,043

-51.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.18 ₩2,921

-65.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.31 ₩1,761

-61.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.40 ₩4,556

21.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$14.95 ₩20.0K

19.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.09 ₩1,463

48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.16 ₩2,901

30.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.03 ₩1,379

-9.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$2.99 ₩4,014

-60.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.62 ₩828

-72.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$15.01 ₩20.1K

-87.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.06 ₩1,417

38.68%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$38.5K ₩51.6M

-45.46%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$33.9K ₩45.5M

-21.81%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$79.4 ₩106.5K

-21.24%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$36.57 ₩49.0K

-68.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$27.28 ₩36.6K

-25.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$54.4 ₩72.9K

-30.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.33 ₩20.5K

-75.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$11.20 ₩15.0K

-41.87%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$639 ₩856.6K

13.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$22.0K ₩29.5M

-24.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$44.27 ₩59.4K

20.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$22.44 ₩30.1K

10.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$94.0 ₩126.0K

-3.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$124 ₩166.6K

-42.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$430 ₩576.0K

11.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$376 ₩504.7K

-17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,151 ₩1.5M

-8.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$858 ₩1.2M

-23.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$6,043 ₩8.1M

-59.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$6,003 ₩8.0M

-73.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$1,851 ₩2.5M

-67.86%

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 Gyeongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Gyeongju

$376 30.5% 21.5% $67

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Gyeongju

$359 29.1% 51.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Gyeongju

$128 10.4% 18.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gyeongju

$143 11.6% 51.7% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Gyeongju

$142 11.5% 85.1% $65

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Gyeongju

$10 * 0.8% 82.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Gyeongju

$77 6.2% 50.8% $26

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 $430 in Gyeongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gyeongju are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $48 in Gyeongju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $359 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

258,156

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Gyeongju 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gyeongju

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 Gyeongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gyeongju costs about 32% 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 $1,854 in Gyeongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gyeongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $430 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $48 in Gyeongju. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Gyeongju, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,236 in Gyeongju. 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 $1,236 in Gyeongju. 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, Gyeongju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.