Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Korea and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

🇰🇵 North Korea
$836
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: North Korea is 24.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 7.7% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: North Korea is 20.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 4.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.75 $2.75
$2.13 ฿71.4
29.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.54 $22.54
$19.40 ฿649
16.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.33 $19.33
$5.47 ฿183
253.38%
Cappuccino
$1.09 $1.09
$1.68 ฿56.4
-35.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$0.66 ฿22.10
240.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 $1.28
$0.34 ฿11.52
276.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.50 $13.50
$2.42 ฿81.0
457.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$3.73 ฿125
-7.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.90 $0.90
$2.06 ฿68.9
-56.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.52 $2.52
$1.46 ฿48.78
72.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$1.35 ฿45.09
15.56%
Eggs
$2.89 $2.89
$2.27 ฿76.0
27.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$16.31 ฿546
-69.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.86 $3.86
$2.70 ฿90.3
42.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.50 $5.50
$9.20 ฿308
-40.22%
Apples (1kg)
$6.12 $6.12
$2.39 ฿80.1
156.07%
Banana (1kg)
$5.13 $5.13
$1.04 ฿34.66
393.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.28 $2.28
$1.60 ฿53.7
42.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.44 ฿48.37
51.39%
Potato (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$1.30 ฿43.59
248.46%
Onion (1kg)
$4.53 $4.53
$1.11 ฿37.29
308.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$0.70 ฿23.55
222.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 $0.46
$0.51 ฿16.99
-9.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52 $4.52
$4.13 ฿138
9.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$17.78 ฿595
-55.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 $1.15
$1.63 ฿54.7
-29.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 $2.18
$2.87 ฿96.0
-24.04%
🚌 Getting Around
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.00 $1.00
$0.86 ฿28.76
16.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.72 $38.72
$53.2 ฿1,780
-27.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 $1.52
$1.22 ฿40.81
24.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 $2.25
$0.56 ฿18.81
301.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.80 $39.80
$2.31 ฿77.5
1622.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.71 $0.71
$1.50 ฿50.2
-52.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K $22.2K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
6.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
4.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.64 $33.64
$61.3 ฿2,051
-45.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.23 $11.23
$12.50 ฿419
-10.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.44 $45.44
$20.36 ฿682
123.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.4 $59.4
$37.94 ฿1,270
56.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.41 $14.41
$3.77 ฿126
282.23%
Cinema Ticket
$7.78 $7.78
$6.60 ฿221
17.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$106 $106
$774 ฿25.9K
-86.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,149 $2,149
$14.4K ฿483.2K
-85.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.12 $22.12
$54.8 ฿1,835
-59.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.19 $28.19
$25.26 ฿846
11.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.9 $62.9
$90.6 ฿3,032
-30.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 $84.7
$73.3 ฿2,453
15.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$97.2 $97.2
$459 ฿15.4K
-78.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 $104
$294 ฿9,835
-64.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 $1,399
$919 ฿30.8K
52.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$208 $208
$552 ฿18.5K
-62.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,684 $1,684
$1,917 ฿64.2K
-12.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,392 $1,392
$1,445 ฿48.4K
-3.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
North Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$232 $232
$592 ฿19.8K
-60.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.11
5.57
27.65%

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

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
North Korea
$247
Chiang Mai
$236 4.5% $11
Eating Out
North Korea
$182
Chiang Mai
$77 57.5% $104
Accommodation & Living
North Korea
$104
Chiang Mai
$294 183% $190
Monthly Utilities & Internet
North Korea
$90
Chiang Mai
$94 4.2% $3.8
Clothing & Footwear
North Korea
$89
Chiang Mai
$110 23.2% $21
Sport & Entertainment
North Korea
$75
Chiang Mai
$51 31.8% $24
Getting Around
North Korea
$56
Chiang Mai
$61 9.2% $5.1
Good to know
🇰🇵 North Korea
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
11:59 11:59 AM
09:59 9:59 AM
2 h behind North Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,418,204
127,240
💱 Currency
USD USD
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • North Korea Chiang Mai 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • North Korea
  • 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

North Korea vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?