Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mokpo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,438 in Mokpo, 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 Mokpo
Learn more

Mokpo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Mokpo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,438

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,438 per month in Mokpo vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mokpo $1,438
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,190 per month in Mokpo vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mokpo $2,190
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,942 per month in Mokpo vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mokpo $2,942
Chiang Mai $1,903

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

Mokpo sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.38 ₩9,806

$2.29 ฿76.5

222.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.24 ₩48.2K

$19.64 ฿656

84.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.72 ₩8,938

$5.61 ฿188

19.79%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ₩4,824

$1.66 ฿55.6

118.67%

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

$1.55 ₩2,063

$0.70 ฿23.40

121.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₩865

$0.31 ฿10.24

109.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.49 ₩4,645

$2.41 ฿80.4

44.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₩5,910

$3.71 ฿124

19.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 ₩3,020

$1.95 ฿65.3

16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₩4,200

$1.41 ฿47.03

124.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 ₩3,659

$1.31 ฿43.62

109.92%

Eggs

$2.84 ₩3,772

$2.18 ฿72.9

30.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 ₩15.8K

$16.65 ฿556

-28.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.03 ₩10.7K

$2.76 ฿92.2

190.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.59 ₩27.4K

$9.11 ฿304

126.02%

Apples (1kg)

$7.94 ₩10.6K

$2.39 ฿80.0

232.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 ₩4,290

$1.03 ฿34.26

213.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.38 ₩9,808

$1.63 ฿54.4

352.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 ₩6,798

$1.50 ฿50.0

240.67%

Potato (1kg)

$4.14 ₩5,507

$1.29 ฿43.13

220.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,332

$1.11 ฿37.03

126.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 ₩3,766

$0.72 ฿24.08

293.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,793

$0.53 ฿17.59

154.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ₩4,563

$4.31 ฿144

-20.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.01 ₩25.3K

$17.95 ฿600

5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₩3,068

$1.58 ฿52.9

46.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₩4,705

$2.84 ฿95.0

24.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₩1,621

$0.86 ฿28.86

41.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 ₩4,727

$1.21 ฿40.29

194.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 ₩928

$0.57 ฿18.99

22.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 ₩11.4K

$2.35 ฿78.6

263.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,920

$1.44 ฿47.96

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

$26.9K ₩35.7M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

29.64%

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

$38.5K ₩51.2M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

43.75%

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

$207 ₩275.5K

$62.3 ฿2,083

232.41%

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

$36.79 ₩48.9K

$12.11 ฿405

203.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.13 ₩32.1K

$19.94 ฿666

21.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 ₩72.9K

$37.07 ฿1,239

47.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.09 ₩17.4K

$3.78 ฿126

246.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.89 ₩17.1K

$6.50 ฿217

98.31%

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

$349 ₩464.5K

$793 ฿26.5K

-55.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K ₩27.7M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

40.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 ₩81.6K

$53.7 ฿1,796

14.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₩74.9K

$24.62 ฿823

128.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 ₩97.9K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 ₩113.7K

$71.1 ฿2,378

20.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 ₩618.4K

$455 ฿15.2K

2.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₩484.7K

$298 ฿9,954

22.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 ₩1.4M

$908 ฿30.4K

19.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 ₩892.5K

$554 ฿18.5K

21.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,710 ₩10.3M

$1,931 ฿64.5K

299.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,025 ₩6.7M

$1,445 ฿48.3K

247.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Mokpo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mokpo

$430 29.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 45.2% $194

Accommodation & Living

Mokpo

$365 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 18.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mokpo

$268 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 64.8% $174

Eating Out

Mokpo

$158 11%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 50.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Mokpo

$125 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 13.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mokpo

$81 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 37.9% $31

Getting Around

Mokpo

$12 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 410% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $465 in Mokpo versus $455 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 $36.00 in Mokpo versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Mokpo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

2 h behind Mokpo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,739

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mokpo Chiang Mai 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mokpo
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

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

Mokpo 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 $2,156 per month in Mokpo and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Mokpo and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Mokpo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Mokpo at $1,438. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mokpo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,438 in Mokpo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mokpo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.