Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gimhae and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,553 in Gimhae, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
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Gimhae Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,553

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,553 per month in Gimhae vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gimhae $1,553
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,462 per month in Gimhae vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gimhae $2,462
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,371 per month in Gimhae vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gimhae $3,371
Chiang Mai $1,999

Gimhae costs about 66% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 ₩10.2K

$2.13 ฿72.0

257.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.21 ₩66.1K

$18.62 ฿628

164.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₩8,992

$5.60 ฿189

19.46%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ₩5,049

$1.66 ฿56.1

126.51%

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

$1.87 ₩2,516

$0.65 ฿21.82

187.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,870

$0.30 ฿10.29

363.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 ₩5,053

$2.32 ฿78.3

62.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₩5,896

$3.67 ฿124

19.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,109

$2.02 ฿68.0

14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 ₩4,355

$1.41 ฿47.49

129.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,103

$1.39 ฿46.94

119.42%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,512

$2.37 ฿79.9

10.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$16.52 ฿557

-32.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₩14.1K

$2.67 ฿90.1

292.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.45 ₩32.9K

$9.02 ฿304

171.06%

Apples (1kg)

$10.94 ₩14.7K

$2.40 ฿80.9

355.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 ₩4,769

$1.04 ฿35.12

241.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.18 ₩11.0K

$1.66 ฿56.0

392.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,845

$1.56 ฿52.6

274.36%

Potato (1kg)

$6.03 ₩8,099

$1.24 ฿41.75

386.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 ₩4,426

$1.09 ฿36.65

201.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 ₩3,695

$0.76 ฿25.70

261.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,789

$0.51 ฿17.34

160.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 ₩4,384

$4.12 ฿139

-20.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.65 ₩25.1K

$17.93 ฿605

4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₩3,182

$1.62 ฿54.8

46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₩4,743

$2.82 ฿95.2

25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₩1,625

$0.93 ฿31.52

30.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ₩4,664

$1.18 ฿39.69

194.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩897

$0.17 ฿5.78

294.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.75 ₩19.8K

$1.81 ฿61.1

714.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₩1,711

$1.47 ฿49.67

-13.61%

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

$39.7K ₩53.3M

$21.0K ฿708.7K

88.71%

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

$33.4K ₩44.9M

$26.5K ฿894.4K

26.06%

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

$195 ₩262.4K

$62.6 ฿2,110

212.12%

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

$36.82 ₩49.5K

$11.60 ฿391

217.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.09 ₩36.4K

$20.30 ฿685

33.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.27 ₩62.2K

$37.88 ฿1,278

22.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 ₩20.4K

$3.70 ฿125

310.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 ₩16.0K

$6.51 ฿220

83.41%

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

$630 ₩846.4K

$727 ฿24.5K

-13.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.2M

$16.6K ฿559.0K

31.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₩137.5K

$53.5 ฿1,806

91.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.4K

$24.80 ฿836

162.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩126.2K

$90.4 ฿3,049

3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩170.3K

$72.0 ฿2,428

76.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 ₩677.9K

$481 ฿16.2K

4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 ₩521.1K

$310 ฿10.5K

25.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 ₩1.6M

$1,058 ฿35.7K

13.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₩1.1M

$659 ฿22.2K

21.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,801 ₩10.5M

$2,418 ฿81.5K

222.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,673 ₩7.6M

$1,609 ฿54.3K

252.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,533 ₩3.4M

$595 ฿20.1K

325.88%

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 Gimhae: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gimhae

$483 31.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 51% $247

Accommodation & Living

Gimhae

$388 25%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 20.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gimhae

$259 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63.5% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Gimhae

$175 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 38% $66

Eating Out

Gimhae

$167 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 54.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Gimhae

$70 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 27.4% $19

Getting Around

Gimhae

$12 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 404% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $505 in Gimhae versus $481 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 Gimhae are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Gimhae versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

2 h behind Gimhae

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

532,132

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gimhae Chiang Mai 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gimhae
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

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

Gimhae 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 $2,330 per month in Gimhae 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 $505 in Gimhae and $481 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 Gimhae 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 104% more in Gimhae, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,553 in Gimhae and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,553 in Gimhae. 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, Gimhae makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.