Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 83.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 103% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 103.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 115.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.57 ₩12.7K
$2.03 ฿64.3
322.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.6 ₩82.1K
$18.59 ฿590
199.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.25 ₩9,229
$7.48 ฿237
-16.44%
Cappuccino
$3.81 ₩5,630
$2.00 ฿63.3
90.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ₩2,453
$0.85 ฿26.87
95.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,229
$0.35 ฿11.15
137.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.78 ₩5,576
$2.21 ฿70.2
71.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 ₩8,492
$3.76 ฿119
52.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ₩3,217
$1.72 ฿54.5
26.74%
White Bread (500g)
$3.46 ₩5,113
$1.63 ฿51.8
112.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 ₩4,736
$1.16 ฿36.75
176.72%
Eggs
$3.19 ₩4,709
$1.98 ฿62.8
61.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.37 ₩21.2K
$15.93 ฿505
-9.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.89 ₩16.1K
$3.17 ฿100
243.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.35 ₩50.7K
$10.90 ฿346
215.14%
Apples (1kg)
$7.95 ₩11.7K
$2.65 ฿83.9
200.00%
Banana (1kg)
$3.60 ₩5,323
$1.22 ฿38.79
195.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.53 ₩8,164
$1.70 ฿53.8
225.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.67 ₩9,852
$1.59 ฿50.4
319.50%
Potato (1kg)
$3.96 ₩5,847
$1.32 ฿42.00
200.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,361
$1.17 ฿37.07
152.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.54 ₩3,747
$0.68 ฿21.50
273.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₩1,896
$0.56 ฿17.68
128.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ₩4,858
$4.51 ฿143
-27.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.17 ₩29.8K
$19.07 ฿605
5.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₩3,575
$1.77 ฿56.2
36.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 ₩4,984
$3.18 ฿101
5.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 ₩1,578
$0.96 ฿30.54
11.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.79 ₩70.6K
$18.90 ฿599
152.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 ₩5,156
$1.36 ฿43.07
156.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 ₩797
$1.35 ฿42.89
-60.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.08 ₩13.4K
$8.03 ฿255
13.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 ₩1,764
$1.24 ฿39.43
-4.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K ₩41.0M
$21.2K ฿671.3K
31.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K ₩36.7M
$21.8K ฿690.1K
14.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 ₩241.1K
$71.2 ฿2,260
129.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.22 ₩52.0K
$14.09 ฿447
149.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.55 ₩33.3K
$17.47 ฿554
29.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 ₩84.5K
$42.07 ฿1,335
35.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.27 ₩34.4K
$6.88 ฿218
238.23%
Cinema Ticket
$11.11 ₩16.4K
$5.94 ฿188
87.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 ₩599.9K
$307 ฿9,750
32.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K ₩34.1M
$14.8K ฿469.3K
55.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 ₩87.2K
$55.7 ฿1,766
6.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.26 ₩69.8K
$26.79 ฿850
76.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.2 ₩115.5K
$83.2 ฿2,640
-6.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 ₩171.3K
$70.1 ฿2,224
65.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$936 ₩1.4M
$427 ฿13.6K
119.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$584 ₩861.9K
$237 ฿7,521
146.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,602 ₩3.8M
$802 ฿25.4K
224.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,340 ₩2.0M
$503 ฿16.0K
166.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$23.1K ₩34.1M
$2,061 ฿65.4K
1020.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.8K ₩17.4M
$1,533 ฿48.6K
670.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,136 ₩4.6M
$654 ฿20.7K
379.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.14
5
-17.20%

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

Last update for Seoul: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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