Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinju and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,454 in Jinju, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
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Jinju Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,454

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,454 per month in Jinju vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jinju $1,454
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,506 per month in Jinju vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jinju $2,506
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jinju vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jinju $3,557
Chiang Mai $1,999

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

Jinju sits 8% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.03 ₩12.1K

$2.13 ฿71.2

323.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 ₩93.1K

$18.62 ฿622

272.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₩10.1K

$5.60 ฿187

34.64%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,412

$1.66 ฿55.5

142.77%

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

$1.63 ₩2,186

$0.65 ฿21.59

150.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₩987

$0.30 ฿10.18

143.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.62 ₩4,864

$2.32 ฿77.5

56.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 ₩7,847

$3.67 ฿122

59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,830

$2.02 ฿67.3

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 ₩4,029

$1.41 ฿47.00

112.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 ₩5,720

$1.39 ฿46.46

206.47%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,762

$2.37 ฿79.0

49.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.09 ₩24.3K

$16.52 ฿551

9.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 ₩14.1K

$2.67 ฿89.1

292.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.27 ₩35.3K

$9.02 ฿301

191.24%

Apples (1kg)

$7.68 ₩10.3K

$2.40 ฿80.1

220.00%

Banana (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,608

$1.04 ฿34.76

229.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,770

$1.66 ฿55.4

248.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 ₩8,327

$1.56 ฿52.0

297.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,756

$1.24 ฿41.31

185.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₩3,484

$1.09 ฿36.27

137.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 ₩3,779

$0.76 ฿25.43

269.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₩1,476

$0.51 ฿17.16

115.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,576

$4.12 ฿138

-17.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 ₩24.8K

$17.93 ฿598

3.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₩3,204

$1.62 ฿54.2

46.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 ₩4,419

$2.82 ฿94.2

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,514

$0.93 ฿31.19

21.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ₩4,706

$1.18 ฿39.28

196.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₩768

$0.17 ฿5.72

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 ₩11.9K

$1.81 ฿60.5

391.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,016

$1.47 ฿49.16

2.04%

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

$29.6K ₩39.7M

$21.0K ฿701.4K

40.71%

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

$27.7K ₩37.3M

$26.5K ฿885.1K

4.65%

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

$211 ₩282.9K

$62.6 ฿2,088

236.52%

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

$34.77 ₩46.7K

$11.60 ฿387

199.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.12 ₩28.4K

$20.30 ฿678

4.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 ₩74.4K

$37.88 ฿1,264

46.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.76 ₩21.2K

$3.70 ฿123

325.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 ₩15.0K

$6.51 ฿217

71.58%

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

$451 ₩606.6K

$727 ฿24.3K

-37.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.1K ₩35.0M

$16.6K ฿553.2K

57.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₩83.1K

$53.5 ฿1,787

15.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.27 ₩44.7K

$24.80 ฿828

34.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 ₩93.4K

$90.4 ฿3,017

-23.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 ₩107.6K

$72.0 ฿2,402

11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₩720.5K

$481 ฿16.1K

11.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₩443.4K

$310 ฿10.3K

6.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ₩1.6M

$1,058 ฿35.3K

15.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 ₩1.3M

$659 ฿22.0K

51.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,214 ₩8.3M

$2,418 ฿80.7K

157.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,832 ₩6.5M

$1,609 ฿53.7K

200.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.57

-26.75%

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

Last update for Jinju: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinju

$476 32.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 50.3% $240

Accommodation & Living

Jinju

$330 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 6.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinju

$266 18.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.5% $172

Eating Out

Jinju

$182 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 58% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Jinju

$110 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Jinju

$78 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 34.5% $27

Getting Around

Jinju

$11 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 440% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Jinju 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Jinju versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jinju

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

2 h behind Jinju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,548

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

100 THB = 3 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,508 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jinju Chiang Mai 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jinju
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

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

Jinju 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 $2,181 per month in Jinju 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 $481 there versus $536 in Jinju.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Jinju 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 101% more in Jinju, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,454 in Jinju 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 $1,454 in Jinju. 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.