Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangyo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,468 in Pangyo, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
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Pangyo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,468

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,468 per month in Pangyo vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pangyo $1,468
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,279 per month in Pangyo vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pangyo $2,279
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,091 per month in Pangyo vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pangyo $3,091
Chiang Mai $1,914

Pangyo costs about 56% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pangyo sits 9% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₩9,624

$2.26 ฿75.4

220.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.02 ₩46.6K

$19.18 ฿641

82.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 ₩8,950

$5.59 ฿187

20.39%

Cappuccino

$3.78 ₩5,025

$1.72 ฿57.6

119.77%

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

$1.59 ₩2,118

$0.64 ฿21.54

148.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₩940

$0.33 ฿11.18

115.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 ₩4,547

$2.36 ฿78.7

44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,685

$3.90 ฿130

9.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩2,998

$2.05 ฿68.6

9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,015

$1.40 ฿46.70

115.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₩3,555

$1.28 ฿42.89

108.59%

Eggs

$2.59 ₩3,450

$2.25 ฿75.3

15.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 ₩14.7K

$16.94 ฿566

-34.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 ₩10.6K

$2.74 ฿91.6

191.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.67 ₩27.5K

$9.36 ฿313

120.83%

Apples (1kg)

$7.73 ₩10.3K

$2.40 ฿80.3

222.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.45 ₩4,583

$1.01 ฿33.92

241.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 ₩9,642

$1.61 ฿53.9

350.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 ₩7,685

$1.52 ฿50.7

280.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.60 ₩4,784

$1.28 ฿42.90

181.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₩3,431

$1.11 ฿37.22

132.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,691

$0.72 ฿24.09

286.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,700

$0.52 ฿17.54

146.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,385

$4.33 ฿145

-23.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ₩24.4K

$17.73 ฿593

3.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,047

$1.63 ฿54.4

40.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₩4,627

$2.85 ฿95.3

22.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,527

$0.85 ฿28.31

35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 ₩64.3K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-10.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ₩4,412

$1.17 ฿39.18

183.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩884

$0.57 ฿19.00

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.83 ₩17.1K

$2.37 ฿79.2

441.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,797

$1.45 ฿48.32

-6.90%

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

$29.8K ₩39.6M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

45.51%

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

$34.2K ₩45.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

28.98%

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

$201 ₩267.4K

$62.3 ฿2,083

222.65%

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

$36.58 ₩48.6K

$12.27 ฿410

198.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.78 ₩29.0K

$19.97 ฿668

9.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 ₩69.0K

$37.91 ฿1,267

36.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 ₩16.0K

$3.76 ฿126

221.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 ₩15.1K

$6.71 ฿224

69.75%

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

$520 ₩691.0K

$797 ฿26.6K

-34.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K ₩29.1M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

47.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 ₩87.6K

$53.3 ฿1,780

23.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 ₩83.5K

$25.05 ฿837

150.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 ₩99.4K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-18.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 ₩130.7K

$73.5 ฿2,455

33.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩636.2K

$464 ฿15.5K

3.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ₩473.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

16.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 ₩1.6M

$915 ฿30.6K

27.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩983.0K

$552 ฿18.5K

33.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,085 ₩9.4M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

270.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,485 ₩7.3M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

281.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,307 ₩7.1M

$595 ฿19.9K

791.61%

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 Pangyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pangyo

$424 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 43.8% $186

Accommodation & Living

Pangyo

$356 24.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 14.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pangyo

$259 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 63.5% $165

Eating Out

Pangyo

$158 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 50.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Pangyo

$136 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 19.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Pangyo

$75 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 31.3% $23

Getting Around

Pangyo

$60 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 2.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Pangyo versus $464 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 run about 792% higher in Pangyo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Pangyo versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $424 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

2 h behind Pangyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Pangyo
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

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

Pangyo costs about 56% 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 $2,201 per month in Pangyo and $1,408 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.

Kindergarten costs $520 per month in Pangyo and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Pangyo, 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 $938, than in Pangyo at $1,468. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pangyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,468 in Pangyo. 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, Pangyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.