Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seogwipo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,435 in Seogwipo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seogwipo
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Seogwipo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,435

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,435 per month in Seogwipo vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Seogwipo $1,435
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,282 per month in Seogwipo vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Seogwipo $2,282
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,129 per month in Seogwipo vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Seogwipo $3,129
Chiang Mai $1,999

Seogwipo costs about 53% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seogwipo sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ₩9,900

$2.13 ฿71.4

242.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.72 ₩51.2K

$18.62 ฿623

102.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₩9,078

$5.60 ฿187

19.46%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,980

$1.66 ฿55.6

121.08%

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

$1.54 ₩2,091

$0.65 ฿21.63

136.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩997

$0.30 ฿10.20

146.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.49 ₩4,739

$2.32 ฿77.7

50.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,804

$3.67 ฿123

16.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₩2,953

$2.02 ฿67.4

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,100

$1.41 ฿47.08

114.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₩3,628

$1.39 ฿46.54

92.09%

Eggs

$2.32 ₩3,153

$2.37 ฿79.2

-2.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 ₩13.9K

$16.52 ฿552

-38.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 ₩13.1K

$2.67 ฿89.3

261.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.92 ₩31.1K

$9.02 ฿302

154.10%

Apples (1kg)

$7.58 ₩10.3K

$2.40 ฿80.2

215.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 ₩4,386

$1.04 ฿34.82

210.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 ₩7,754

$1.66 ฿55.5

243.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 ₩7,810

$1.56 ฿52.1

269.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₩5,157

$1.24 ฿41.39

206.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 ₩3,286

$1.09 ฿36.34

122.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 ₩4,023

$0.76 ฿25.47

289.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₩1,623

$0.51 ฿17.19

135.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₩3,977

$4.12 ฿138

-28.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 ₩18.3K

$17.93 ฿600

-24.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₩3,239

$1.62 ฿54.3

47.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₩4,984

$2.82 ฿94.4

30.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ₩1,687

$0.93 ฿31.25

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 ₩5,366

$1.18 ฿39.35

234.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₩775

$0.17 ฿5.73

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₩12.1K

$1.81 ฿60.6

393.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₩1,865

$1.47 ฿49.25

-6.80%

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

$29.6K ₩40.2M

$21.0K ฿702.6K

40.85%

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

$30.2K ₩41.0M

$26.5K ฿886.7K

13.97%

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

$185 ₩250.9K

$62.6 ฿2,092

195.52%

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

$38.67 ₩52.5K

$11.60 ฿388

233.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.90 ₩25.6K

$20.30 ฿679

-6.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.13 ₩64.0K

$37.88 ฿1,267

24.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.06 ₩16.4K

$3.70 ฿124

225.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.65 ₩15.8K

$6.51 ฿218

78.96%

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

$456 ₩618.9K

$727 ฿24.3K

-37.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩29.2M

$16.6K ฿554.2K

29.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 ₩72.0K

$53.5 ฿1,790

-0.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩88.3K

$24.80 ฿829

162.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 ₩115.1K

$90.4 ฿3,023

-6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ₩124.2K

$72.0 ฿2,407

27.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ₩711.6K

$481 ฿16.1K

8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₩546.1K

$310 ฿10.4K

29.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ₩1.9M

$1,058 ฿35.4K

32.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$899 ₩1.2M

$659 ฿22.0K

36.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,846 ₩10.6M

$2,418 ฿80.8K

224.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,101 ₩6.9M

$1,609 ฿53.8K

217.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,134 ₩1.5M

$595 ฿19.9K

90.58%

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 Seogwipo: 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

Seogwipo

$417 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 43.3% $181

Accommodation & Living

Seogwipo

$402 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 23% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seogwipo

$242 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61% $148

Eating Out

Seogwipo

$158 11%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 51.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Seogwipo

$133 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 18.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Seogwipo

$70 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 27.7% $20

Getting Around

Seogwipo

$12 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 398% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Seogwipo 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.

Salaries run about 91% higher in Seogwipo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Seogwipo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $417 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

2 h behind Seogwipo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,641

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.56 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,357 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD). 1 EUR = 1,524 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seogwipo Chiang Mai 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seogwipo
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

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

Seogwipo costs about 53% 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 $2,152 per month in Seogwipo and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $524 in Seogwipo and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Seogwipo 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 76% more in Seogwipo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,435 in Seogwipo 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 $1,435 in Seogwipo. 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.

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