Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,362 in Pohang, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Pohang vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pohang $1,362
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in Pohang vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pohang $1,682
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,002 per month in Pohang vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pohang $2,002
Chiang Mai $1,914

Pohang costs about 45% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pohang sits 1% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,857

$2.26 ฿75.4

161.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₩30.0K

$19.18 ฿641

17.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,675

$5.59 ฿187

16.64%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$1.72 ฿57.6

75.58%

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

$1.48 ₩1,967

$0.64 ฿21.54

131.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₩710

$0.33 ฿11.18

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$2.36 ฿78.7

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,062

$3.90 ฿130

-2.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,142

$2.05 ฿68.6

15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$1.40 ฿46.70

132.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₩1,940

$1.28 ฿42.89

14.06%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$2.25 ฿75.3

21.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₩14.6K

$16.94 ฿566

-35.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₩13.8K

$2.74 ฿91.6

278.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 ₩33.1K

$9.36 ฿313

165.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₩2,929

$2.40 ฿80.3

-8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,798

$1.01 ฿33.92

257.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$1.61 ฿53.9

391.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 ₩3,879

$1.52 ฿50.7

92.11%

Potato (1kg)

$5.00 ₩6,653

$1.28 ฿42.90

290.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₩4,532

$1.11 ฿37.22

207.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 ₩3,015

$0.72 ฿24.09

215.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,785

$0.52 ฿17.54

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,407

$4.33 ฿145

-23.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₩8,631

$17.73 ฿593

-63.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₩2,031

$1.63 ฿54.4

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₩4,638

$2.85 ฿95.3

22.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ₩4,388

$1.17 ฿39.18

182.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩766

$0.57 ฿19.00

1.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 ₩22.1K

$2.37 ฿79.2

602.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,647

$1.45 ฿48.32

-14.48%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

43.97%

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

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

7.11%

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

$102 ₩136.1K

$62.3 ฿2,083

64.21%

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

$36.26 ₩48.2K

$12.27 ฿410

195.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.84 ₩35.7K

$19.97 ฿668

34.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-19.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₩9,884

$3.76 ฿126

97.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$6.71 ฿224

69.60%

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

$637 ₩847.5K

$797 ฿26.6K

-20.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

46.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩139.2K

$53.3 ฿1,780

96.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₩85.5K

$25.05 ฿837

156.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₩122.9K

$91.6 ฿3,062

0.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.9K

$73.5 ฿2,455

51.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₩594.3K

$305 ฿10.2K

46.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 ₩4.0M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

107.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,240 ₩3.0M

$595 ฿19.9K

276.35%

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 Pohang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohang

$447 32.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 31.8% $142

Groceries & Markets

Pohang

$386 28.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 38.3% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Pohang

$168 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 34.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohang

$165 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 42.8% $71

Eating Out

Pohang

$137 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 42.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Pohang

$53 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 3.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 892% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 276% higher in Pohang, 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 $23.00 in Pohang versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pohang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

2 h behind Pohang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

514,869

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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Between locations

Pohang Chiang Mai 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohang
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

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

Pohang costs about 45% 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 $2,043 per month in Pohang and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Pohang and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Pohang, 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 Pohang at $1,362. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pohang it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,362 in Pohang. 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, Pohang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.