Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jecheon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,535 in Jecheon, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Jecheon
Learn more

Jecheon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Jecheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,535

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,535 per month in Jecheon vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jecheon $1,535
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,543 per month in Jecheon vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jecheon $2,543
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,551 per month in Jecheon vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jecheon $3,551
Chiang Mai $1,999

Jecheon costs about 64% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jecheon sits 14% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.27 ₩9,735

$2.13 ฿71.8

241.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.66 ₩65.2K

$18.62 ฿626

161.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.76 ₩9,046

$5.60 ฿188

20.71%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₩4,760

$1.66 ฿55.9

114.46%

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

$1.79 ₩2,396

$0.65 ฿21.75

175.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,864

$0.30 ฿10.25

363.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,873

$2.32 ฿78.1

56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 ₩5,586

$3.67 ฿123

13.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₩3,129

$2.02 ฿67.8

15.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,351

$1.41 ฿47.34

130.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 ₩4,272

$1.39 ฿46.79

129.50%

Eggs

$2.67 ₩3,570

$2.37 ฿79.6

12.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 ₩14.5K

$16.52 ฿555

-34.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 ₩13.7K

$2.67 ฿89.8

282.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.63 ₩33.0K

$9.02 ฿303

173.06%

Apples (1kg)

$11.10 ₩14.9K

$2.40 ฿80.6

362.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.52 ₩4,708

$1.04 ฿35.01

238.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.21 ₩11.0K

$1.66 ฿55.8

394.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,773

$1.56 ฿52.4

272.44%

Potato (1kg)

$5.89 ₩7,890

$1.24 ฿41.61

375.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 ₩4,304

$1.09 ฿36.53

194.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 ₩3,648

$0.76 ฿25.61

257.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,703

$0.51 ฿17.29

149.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,514

$4.12 ฿139

-18.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.44 ₩24.7K

$17.93 ฿603

2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 ₩3,151

$1.62 ฿54.6

45.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₩4,754

$2.82 ฿94.9

25.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₩1,577

$0.93 ฿31.42

26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 ₩4,909

$1.18 ฿39.56

211.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₩827

$0.17 ฿5.76

264.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.58 ₩19.5K

$1.81 ฿60.9

705.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,885

$1.47 ฿49.51

-4.08%

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

$38.5K ₩51.5M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

83.05%

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

$33.3K ₩44.6M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

25.60%

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

$201 ₩269.6K

$62.6 ฿2,103

221.82%

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

$36.30 ₩48.6K

$11.60 ฿390

212.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.24 ₩36.5K

$20.30 ฿683

34.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 ₩76.3K

$37.88 ฿1,274

50.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.69 ₩17.0K

$3.70 ฿124

242.97%

Cinema Ticket

$11.75 ₩15.7K

$6.51 ฿219

80.49%

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

$636 ₩851.0K

$727 ฿24.4K

-12.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.4M

$16.6K ฿557.2K

32.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩140.0K

$53.5 ฿1,800

95.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.8 ₩86.7K

$24.80 ฿834

161.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₩122.2K

$90.4 ฿3,039

1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₩168.3K

$72.0 ฿2,420

74.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 ₩588.9K

$481 ฿16.2K

-8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ₩485.7K

$310 ฿10.4K

17.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 ₩1.7M

$1,058 ฿35.6K

17.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$980 ₩1.3M

$659 ฿22.1K

48.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,852 ₩9.2M

$2,418 ฿81.3K

183.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,151 ₩6.9M

$1,609 ฿54.1K

220.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,465 ₩2.0M

$595 ฿20.0K

146.30%

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 Jecheon: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jecheon

$481 31.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 50.8% $244

Accommodation & Living

Jecheon

$363 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 14.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jecheon

$265 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Jecheon

$174 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 37.7% $66

Eating Out

Jecheon

$160 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 52.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Jecheon

$80 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 36.7% $30

Getting Around

Jecheon

$11 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 411% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $440 in Jecheon 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 Jecheon are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Jecheon versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $481 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jecheon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

21:11 9:11 PM

2 h behind Jecheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,432

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jecheon Chiang Mai 3,500 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jecheon
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

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

Jecheon costs about 64% 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 $2,302 per month in Jecheon 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 $440 in Jecheon 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 Jecheon 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 103% more in Jecheon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,535 in Jecheon 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 $1,535 in Jecheon. 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, Jecheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.