Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilsan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,451 in Ilsan, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Ilsan
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Ilsan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ilsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,451

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,451 per month in Ilsan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ilsan $1,451
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,327 per month in Ilsan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ilsan $2,327
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,204 per month in Ilsan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ilsan $3,204
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Ilsan 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

$7.71 ₩10.3K

$2.24 ฿75.5

244.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 ₩89.9K

$19.00 ฿640

252.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$5.55 ฿187

38.02%

Cappuccino

$4.02 ₩5,386

$1.67 ฿56.4

140.72%

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

$1.63 ₩2,191

$0.64 ฿21.51

154.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,054

$0.31 ฿10.29

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 ₩5,005

$2.36 ฿79.5

58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 ₩8,202

$3.66 ฿123

67.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ₩2,849

$1.95 ฿65.7

9.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₩4,057

$1.44 ฿48.41

110.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₩3,014

$1.33 ฿44.97

69.17%

Eggs

$3.38 ₩4,535

$2.28 ฿77.0

48.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ₩21.5K

$16.45 ฿554

-2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.80 ₩10.5K

$2.78 ฿93.8

180.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ₩15.2K

$9.31 ฿314

22.13%

Apples (1kg)

$7.74 ₩10.4K

$2.35 ฿79.3

229.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.31 ₩4,440

$0.97 ฿32.75

241.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.66 ₩7,581

$1.60 ฿53.8

253.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.25 ₩8,382

$1.50 ฿50.6

316.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 ₩4,647

$1.28 ฿43.06

171.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 ₩3,241

$1.10 ฿37.14

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 ₩2,737

$0.71 ฿23.79

187.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₩1,471

$0.49 ฿16.34

124.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,465

$4.14 ฿140

-19.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₩25.2K

$17.52 ฿590

7.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,975

$1.61 ฿54.4

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ₩4,342

$2.78 ฿93.8

16.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,476

$0.87 ฿29.27

26.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.46 ₩66.3K

$54.1 ฿1,823

-8.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₩4,848

$1.16 ฿39.00

212.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩893

$0.53 ฿17.78

26.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.11 ₩12.2K

$2.42 ฿81.6

276.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,806

$1.45 ฿48.82

-6.90%

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

$30.1K ₩40.3M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

42.91%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

4.72%

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

$213 ₩286.0K

$62.2 ฿2,095

243.16%

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

$35.99 ₩48.2K

$12.17 ฿410

195.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.31 ₩28.6K

$20.12 ฿678

5.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩73.8K

$37.31 ฿1,257

47.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.03 ₩18.8K

$3.77 ฿127

272.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 ₩15.3K

$6.49 ฿219

75.50%

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

$380 ₩509.2K

$736 ฿24.8K

-48.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₩23.8M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

20.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ₩79.4K

$53.4 ฿1,799

11.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 ₩44.2K

$24.64 ฿830

33.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₩95.1K

$91.5 ฿3,083

-22.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ₩112.3K

$71.9 ฿2,424

16.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 ₩660.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₩479.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 ₩1.6M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

14.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₩1.0M

$633 ฿21.3K

19.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,170 ₩9.6M

$2,363 ฿79.6K

203.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,436 ₩7.3M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

242.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,539 ₩4.7M

$590 ฿19.9K

500.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

5.57

-26.39%

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

Last update for Ilsan: 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

Ilsan

$400 27.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 41.3% $165

Accommodation & Living

Ilsan

$357 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 13.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilsan

$271 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.1% $176

Eating Out

Ilsan

$173 12%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 55.3% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Ilsan

$111 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.3% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ilsan

$78 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.4% $28

Getting Around

Ilsan

$61 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 0.9% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Ilsan 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 Ilsan are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Ilsan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ilsan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h behind Ilsan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,061,752

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ilsan Chiang Mai 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ilsan
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

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

Ilsan 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 $2,176 per month in Ilsan 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 $493 in Ilsan and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $380 per month in Ilsan and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Ilsan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,451 in Ilsan 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 $1,451 in Ilsan. 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, Ilsan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.