Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chungju and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,450 in Chungju, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
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Chungju Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,450

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chungju and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,450 per month in Chungju vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chungju $1,450
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Chungju vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chungju $2,312
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,173 per month in Chungju vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chungju $3,173
Chiang Mai $1,979

Chungju costs about 55% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chungju sits 7% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ₩10.3K

$2.24 ฿75.7

243.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.08 ₩65.9K

$19.00 ฿642

158.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 ₩9,052

$5.55 ฿188

21.44%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ₩4,859

$1.67 ฿56.6

116.77%

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

$1.78 ₩2,394

$0.64 ฿21.56

178.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₩1,953

$0.31 ฿10.32

367.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 ₩5,000

$2.36 ฿79.6

57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,822

$3.66 ฿124

18.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,112

$1.95 ฿65.8

18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 ₩3,964

$1.44 ฿48.51

104.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 ₩4,150

$1.33 ฿45.07

132.33%

Eggs

$2.66 ₩3,576

$2.28 ฿77.1

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$16.45 ฿556

-32.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.59 ₩10.2K

$2.78 ฿94.0

173.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.68 ₩33.1K

$9.31 ฿314

165.09%

Apples (1kg)

$8.96 ₩12.0K

$2.35 ฿79.5

281.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.69 ₩4,954

$0.97 ฿32.82

280.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.96 ₩10.7K

$1.60 ฿53.9

397.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 ₩7,778

$1.50 ฿50.7

286.00%

Potato (1kg)

$6.09 ₩8,176

$1.28 ฿43.15

375.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,550

$1.10 ฿37.22

208.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,684

$0.71 ฿23.84

285.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₩1,743

$0.49 ฿16.38

165.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,418

$4.14 ฿140

-20.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.95 ₩25.4K

$17.52 ฿592

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$1.61 ฿54.5

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ₩3,980

$2.78 ฿94.0

6.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,483

$0.87 ฿29.33

26.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₩4,855

$1.16 ฿39.08

212.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩968

$0.53 ฿17.82

35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.99 ₩22.8K

$2.42 ฿81.8

602.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,918

$1.45 ฿48.93

-1.38%

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

$39.4K ₩53.0M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

87.29%

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

$34.5K ₩46.3M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

27.93%

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

$198 ₩265.6K

$62.2 ฿2,100

218.21%

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

$27.49 ₩36.9K

$12.17 ฿411

125.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.04 ₩36.3K

$20.12 ฿680

34.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ₩72.9K

$37.31 ฿1,260

45.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 ₩19.2K

$3.77 ฿127

279.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 ₩16.0K

$6.49 ฿219

83.20%

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

$629 ₩844.7K

$736 ฿24.9K

-14.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ₩29.7M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

49.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 ₩102.1K

$53.4 ฿1,802

42.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.91 ₩50.9K

$24.64 ฿832

53.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ₩98.9K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-19.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩151.6K

$71.9 ฿2,429

56.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₩649.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

0.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ₩471.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

13.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 ₩1.6M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

18.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$633 ฿21.4K

20.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,118 ₩9.6M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

201.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,478 ₩7.4M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

244.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,672 ₩2.2M

$590 ฿19.9K

183.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

5.57

-24.24%

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

Last update for Chungju: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chungju

$456 31.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 48.6% $222

Accommodation & Living

Chungju

$351 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 12% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chungju

$252 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.6% $158

Eating Out

Chungju

$165 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 53.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Chungju

$135 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 19.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chungju

$78 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.6% $28

Getting Around

Chungju

$12 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 427% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $483 in Chungju versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chungju are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Chungju versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Chungju

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

22:08 10:08 PM

2 h behind Chungju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,529

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

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).

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).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chungju Chiang Mai 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chungju
Chiang Mai

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

Chungju vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chungju costs about 55% 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 $2,175 per month in Chungju and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $483 in Chungju and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Chungju and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 95% more in Chungju, 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 $1,450 in Chungju and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,450 in Chungju. 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, Chungju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.