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

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 86.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 105.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 95.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 124.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.87 ₩13.0K
$2.01 ฿64.5
341.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.8 ₩82.1K
$18.23 ฿584
206.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.39 ₩9,399
$7.65 ฿245
-16.47%
Cappuccino
$3.80 ₩5,592
$1.92 ฿61.5
97.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ₩2,454
$0.84 ฿26.97
98.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 ₩1,190
$0.36 ฿11.42
125.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.61 ₩5,316
$2.19 ฿70.2
64.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₩8,697
$3.79 ฿121
55.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ₩3,177
$1.64 ฿52.5
31.71%
White Bread (500g)
$3.43 ₩5,049
$1.62 ฿52.0
111.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.27 ₩4,805
$1.15 ฿36.98
184.35%
Eggs
$3.19 ₩4,689
$1.94 ฿62.2
64.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.41 ₩21.2K
$15.94 ฿511
-9.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.69 ₩15.7K
$3.10 ฿99.5
244.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.03 ₩50.0K
$11.07 ฿355
207.41%
Apples (1kg)
$7.87 ₩11.6K
$2.71 ฿86.8
190.41%
Banana (1kg)
$3.55 ₩5,222
$1.18 ฿37.80
200.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.53 ₩8,126
$1.71 ฿54.7
223.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.63 ₩9,752
$1.61 ฿51.5
311.80%
Potato (1kg)
$3.86 ₩5,675
$1.39 ฿44.66
177.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,337
$1.15 ฿36.81
156.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.63 ₩3,874
$0.71 ฿22.83
270.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₩1,935
$0.55 ฿17.65
140.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.39 ₩4,989
$4.57 ฿146
-25.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.46 ₩28.6K
$18.87 ฿605
3.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.45 ₩3,608
$1.82 ฿58.4
34.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 ₩4,777
$3.21 ฿103
1.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₩1,641
$0.88 ฿28.24
27.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.79 ₩68.8K
$18.89 ฿606
147.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.50 ₩5,148
$1.41 ฿45.30
148.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ₩835
$1.30 ฿41.71
-56.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.01 ₩13.3K
$8.20 ฿263
9.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 ₩1,772
$1.23 ฿39.29
-2.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K ₩40.6M
$21.2K ฿678.9K
30.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K ₩37.3M
$22.3K ฿715.3K
13.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 ₩240.6K
$69.9 ฿2,240
134.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.58 ₩50.9K
$14.07 ฿451
145.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.01 ₩32.4K
$17.70 ฿567
24.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 ₩85.5K
$41.41 ฿1,328
40.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.08 ₩33.9K
$6.69 ฿215
244.99%
Cinema Ticket
$10.89 ₩16.0K
$5.74 ฿184
89.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$410 ₩602.5K
$299 ฿9,593
36.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.9K ₩35.1M
$15.0K ฿481.2K
58.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.6 ₩87.6K
$54.8 ฿1,758
8.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.19 ₩69.4K
$26.35 ฿845
79.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ₩117.4K
$84.7 ฿2,714
-5.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 ₩171.9K
$69.7 ฿2,236
67.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$952 ₩1.4M
$427 ฿13.7K
122.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$598 ₩878.9K
$241 ฿7,718
148.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,515 ₩3.7M
$811 ฿26.0K
210.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,296 ₩1.9M
$498 ฿16.0K
160.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K ₩26.9M
$2,022 ฿64.8K
803.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,948 ₩14.6M
$1,524 ฿48.9K
552.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,041 ₩4.5M
$639 ฿20.5K
375.83%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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