Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daegu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,569 in Daegu, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Daegu
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Daegu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Daegu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,569

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Daegu 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 Daegu and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,569 per month in Daegu vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Daegu $1,569
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Daegu vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Daegu $2,402
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,235 per month in Daegu vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Daegu $3,235
Chiang Mai $1,914

Daegu costs about 67% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Daegu sits 16% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.29 ₩12.3K

$2.26 ฿75.4

311.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.12 ₩49.4K

$19.18 ฿641

93.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 ₩7,536

$5.59 ฿187

1.43%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ₩5,284

$1.72 ฿57.6

130.81%

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

$1.56 ₩2,075

$0.64 ฿21.54

143.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₩1,202

$0.33 ฿11.18

172.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 ₩5,082

$2.36 ฿78.7

61.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 ₩7,204

$3.90 ฿130

38.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₩3,161

$2.05 ฿68.6

16.10%

White Bread (500g)

$4.49 ₩5,976

$1.40 ฿46.70

220.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ₩3,541

$1.28 ฿42.89

107.81%

Eggs

$2.72 ₩3,619

$2.25 ฿75.3

20.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ₩13.7K

$16.94 ฿566

-39.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 ₩9,888

$2.74 ฿91.6

171.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.76 ₩27.6K

$9.36 ฿313

121.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.59 ₩8,762

$2.40 ฿80.3

174.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ₩3,577

$1.01 ฿33.92

166.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.72 ₩7,599

$1.61 ฿53.9

255.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 ₩7,921

$1.52 ฿50.7

292.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ₩3,518

$1.28 ฿42.90

107.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₩2,735

$1.11 ฿37.22

85.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.35 ₩5,789

$0.72 ฿24.09

504.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₩1,825

$0.52 ฿17.54

163.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₩3,832

$4.33 ฿145

-33.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 ₩19.8K

$17.73 ฿593

-15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₩2,848

$1.63 ฿54.4

31.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ₩3,317

$2.85 ฿95.3

-12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ₩1,473

$0.85 ฿28.31

30.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.4 ₩101.5K

$53.9 ฿1,801

41.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ₩4,172

$1.17 ฿39.18

168.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩811

$0.57 ฿19.00

7.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 ₩10.7K

$2.37 ฿79.2

238.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₩1,775

$1.45 ฿48.32

-8.28%

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

$28.5K ₩37.9M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

39.23%

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

$41.5K ₩55.1M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

56.35%

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

$280 ₩371.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

348.42%

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

$50.5 ₩67.1K

$12.27 ฿410

311.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.09 ₩62.6K

$19.97 ฿668

135.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ₩67.8K

$37.91 ฿1,267

34.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.89 ₩15.8K

$3.76 ฿126

216.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$6.71 ฿224

67.81%

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

$531 ₩706.4K

$797 ฿26.6K

-33.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ₩37.1M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

88.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 ₩74.8K

$53.3 ฿1,780

5.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 ₩66.9K

$25.05 ฿837

100.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ₩127.7K

$91.6 ฿3,062

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 ₩218.5K

$73.5 ฿2,455

123.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 ₩542.1K

$464 ฿15.5K

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ₩363.6K

$305 ฿10.2K

-10.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 ₩1.4M

$915 ฿30.6K

14.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₩806.7K

$552 ฿18.5K

9.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,125 ₩9.5M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

272.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,559 ₩7.4M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

286.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 ₩3.3M

$595 ฿19.9K

316.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

5.57

-8.98%

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

Last update for Daegu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Daegu

$414 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 42.5% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Daegu

$377 24%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.9% $282

Accommodation & Living

Daegu

$273 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 11.4% $31

Eating Out

Daegu

$179 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 55.8% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Daegu

$165 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 33.7% $56

Getting Around

Daegu

$87 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 29.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Daegu

$73 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 30.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $408 in Daegu versus $464 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 run about 316% higher in Daegu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Daegu versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Daegu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

2 h behind Daegu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,528,933

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Daegu
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

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

Daegu costs about 67% 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 $2,353 per month in Daegu and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $531 per month in Daegu and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Daegu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Daegu at $1,569. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Daegu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,569 in Daegu. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Daegu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.