Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Icheon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,599 in Icheon, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,599

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Icheon vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Icheon $1,599
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,052 per month in Icheon vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Icheon $2,052
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,506 per month in Icheon vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Icheon $2,506
Chiang Mai $1,979

Icheon costs about 71% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Icheon sits 17% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.24 ₩8,328

$2.24 ฿75.6

178.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.61 ₩66.2K

$19.00 ฿641

161.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 ₩8,863

$5.55 ฿187

19.82%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,888

$1.67 ฿56.5

119.76%

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

$1.33 ₩1,776

$0.64 ฿21.55

107.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 ₩1,569

$0.31 ฿10.31

280.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 ₩5,145

$2.36 ฿79.6

63.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 ₩5,648

$3.66 ฿124

15.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 ₩3,059

$1.95 ฿65.8

17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₩4,254

$1.44 ฿48.48

121.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ₩4,157

$1.33 ฿45.04

134.59%

Eggs

$2.65 ₩3,539

$2.28 ฿77.1

16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 ₩15.1K

$16.45 ฿555

-31.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 ₩14.3K

$2.78 ฿93.9

285.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.00 ₩33.3K

$9.31 ฿314

168.53%

Apples (1kg)

$11.46 ₩15.3K

$2.35 ฿79.4

387.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,794

$0.97 ฿32.80

270.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 ₩10.6K

$1.60 ฿53.9

398.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 ₩8,111

$1.50 ฿50.6

305.33%

Potato (1kg)

$5.89 ₩7,855

$1.28 ฿43.12

360.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 ₩4,408

$1.10 ฿37.19

200.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,789

$0.71 ฿23.82

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,792

$0.49 ฿16.37

173.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,563

$4.14 ฿140

-17.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ₩25.0K

$17.52 ฿591

7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₩3,239

$1.61 ฿54.5

50.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ₩4,599

$2.78 ฿94.0

24.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,472

$0.87 ฿29.31

26.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,693

$1.16 ฿39.06

203.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₩983

$0.53 ฿17.80

39.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 ₩22.9K

$2.42 ฿81.8

608.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,895

$1.45 ฿48.90

-2.07%

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

$40.4K ₩53.8M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

91.72%

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

$33.6K ₩44.8M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

24.76%

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

$205 ₩274.0K

$62.2 ฿2,098

230.51%

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

$36.50 ₩48.7K

$12.17 ฿411

199.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.7K

$20.12 ฿679

36.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.67 ₩30.2K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-39.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 ₩15.3K

$6.49 ฿219

76.58%

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

$631 ₩841.0K

$736 ฿24.8K

-14.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.8M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

51.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ₩142.1K

$53.4 ฿1,801

99.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ₩86.5K

$24.64 ฿831

163.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 ₩125.6K

$91.5 ฿3,087

2.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩169.1K

$71.9 ฿2,428

76.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₩1.0M

$482 ฿16.3K

58.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₩605.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

46.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,314 ₩3.1M

$590 ฿19.9K

292.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

5.57

-29.98%

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

Last update for Icheon: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Icheon

$490 30.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 52.2% $256

Accommodation & Living

Icheon

$454 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 31.9% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Icheon

$269 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.9% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Icheon

$177 11%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38.5% $68

Eating Out

Icheon

$152 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Icheon

$46 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Icheon

$12 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 428% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Icheon 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 Icheon are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Icheon versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $490 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Icheon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

2 h behind Icheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

213,059

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Icheon Chiang Mai 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Icheon
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

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

Icheon costs about 71% 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 $2,398 per month in Icheon and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $763 in Icheon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Icheon 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 109% more in Icheon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,599 in Icheon 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 $1,599 in Icheon. 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, Icheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.