Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Wonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,549 in Wonju, 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 Wonju
Learn more

Wonju Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Wonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,549 in Wonju, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Wonju $1,549

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,516 in Wonju, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Wonju $2,516

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,483 in Wonju, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Wonju $3,483

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$7.44 ₩9,980

-71.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$48.11 ₩64.5K

-61.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.72 ₩9,004

-16.67%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.68 ₩4,938

-54.89%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.86 ₩2,488

-65.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$1.40 ₩1,876

-78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$3.77 ₩5,048

-38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.30 ₩5,763

-14.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.22 ₩2,980

-9.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$3.19 ₩4,272

-55.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$3.05 ₩4,090

-54.43%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.63 ₩3,530

-9.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$10.97 ₩14.7K

50.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$10.34 ₩13.9K

-74.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$24.64 ₩33.0K

-63.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$11.24 ₩15.1K

-78.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$3.58 ₩4,803

-70.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$7.84 ₩10.5K

-78.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$6.08 ₩8,155

-74.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$5.80 ₩7,776

-78.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$3.25 ₩4,353

-66.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$2.75 ₩3,680

-72.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.27 ₩1,700

-59.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.27 ₩4,383

25.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$18.24 ₩24.5K

-1.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$2.44 ₩3,267

-33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.63 ₩4,868

-22.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.97 ₩1,306

-4.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$3.55 ₩4,755

-66.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.64 ₩854

-73.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$14.85 ₩19.9K

-87.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.18 ₩1,575

24.58%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$38.6K ₩51.8M

-45.59%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$33.3K ₩44.6M

-20.36%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$202 ₩271.0K

-69.06%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$36.46 ₩48.9K

-68.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$27.33 ₩36.6K

-25.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$52.4 ₩70.2K

-27.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$11.90 ₩16.0K

-68.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$12.10 ₩16.2K

-46.20%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$477 ₩639.6K

52.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$21.8K ₩29.3M

-24.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$104 ₩139.2K

-48.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$64.7 ₩86.7K

-61.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$91.5 ₩122.6K

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$128 ₩171.1K

-43.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$507 ₩679.9K

-5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$377 ₩504.7K

-17.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,239 ₩1.7M

-14.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$916 ₩1.2M

-28.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$6,883 ₩9.2M

-64.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$6,178 ₩8.3M

-73.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Wonju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Wonju

$377 24.3% 21.5% $67

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Wonju

$481 31% 103% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Wonju

$174 11.3% 61% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Wonju

$266 17.2% 182% $172

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Wonju

$164 10.6% 115% $88

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Wonju

$11 * 0.7% 81.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Wonju

$77 4.9% 50.5% $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 $507 in Wonju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $48 in Wonju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $481 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇷 Wonju

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

2 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

340,196

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Wonju 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Wonju

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 Wonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wonju 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 $2,324 in Wonju. 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 $507 in Wonju. 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 $48 in Wonju. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 103% more in Wonju, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,549 in Wonju. 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 $1,549 in Wonju. 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.