Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Incheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,376 in Incheon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Incheon
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Incheon Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Incheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,376 in Incheon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Incheon $1,376

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,124 in Incheon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Incheon $2,124

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,873 in Incheon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Incheon $2,873

Chiang Mai is about 32% cheaper than Incheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.17 ₩8,232

-63.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$34.97 ₩46.6K

-45.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.92 ₩9,225

-19.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.66 ₩4,876

-54.37%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.55 ₩2,063

-58.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.59 ₩792

-47.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.59 ₩4,781

-34.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.42 ₩5,895

-17.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.11 ₩2,812

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.05 ₩4,066

-52.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.28 ₩3,045

-41.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.26 ₩4,354

-30.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$15.83 ₩21.1K

3.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$7.98 ₩10.6K

-65.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.35 ₩15.1K

-17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$7.50 ₩10.0K

-68.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$3.33 ₩4,439

-70.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$5.94 ₩7,922

-73.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.30 ₩8,403

-76.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$3.48 ₩4,645

-63.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.39 ₩3,191

-53.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.11 ₩2,811

-66.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.12 ₩1,487

-56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.42 ₩4,564

21.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$19.16 ₩25.6K

-8.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.24 ₩2,984

-28.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.23 ₩4,302

-13.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.07 ₩1,430

-18.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$25.40 ₩33.9K

112.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.68 ₩4,902

-68.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.60 ₩805

-11.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$9.25 ₩12.3K

-73.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.36 ₩1,820

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$29.2K ₩38.9M

-27.85%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$28.3K ₩37.7M

-4.78%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$210 ₩280.6K

-70.45%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$35.72 ₩47.6K

-65.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$21.45 ₩28.6K

-6.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$34.30 ₩45.7K

8.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$37.83 ₩50.4K

-90.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.31 ₩15.1K

-42.62%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$295 ₩393.7K

149.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$17.8K ₩23.8M

-17.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$60.2 ₩80.3K

-11.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$34.27 ₩45.7K

-28.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$66.5 ₩88.7K

37.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$83.6 ₩111.5K

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$604 ₩804.8K

-20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$355 ₩473.0K

-12.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,263 ₩1.7M

-20.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$708 ₩944.7K

-10.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,882 ₩9.2M

-65.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$5,679 ₩7.6M

-72.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,460 ₩3.3M

-76.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.08

36.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Incheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Incheon

$355 25.8% 14.8% $46

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Incheon

$401 29.1% 71.1% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Incheon

$110 8% 1.3% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Incheon

$268 19.5% 183% $173

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Incheon

$149 10.9% 92.5% $72

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Incheon

$36 2.6% 40.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Incheon

$57 4.1% 13.2% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $604 in Incheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Incheon are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Incheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $401 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Incheon

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,870,545

💱 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 Incheon 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Incheon

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 Incheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Incheon costs about 47% 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 $2,064 in Incheon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $604 in Incheon.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $295 in Incheon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 71% more in Incheon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,376 in Incheon. 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 $1,376 in Incheon. 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, Incheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.