Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,543 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: South Korea is 65.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 70.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Korea is 74.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 85% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.67 ₩10.3K
$2.13 ฿71.7
260.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.23 ₩60.7K
$19.40 ฿652
133.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.43 ₩8,637
$5.47 ฿184
17.55%
Cappuccino
$3.92 ₩5,266
$1.68 ฿56.7
133.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₩2,199
$0.66 ฿22.19
148.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,117
$0.34 ฿11.56
144.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.63 ₩4,874
$2.42 ฿81.3
50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ₩6,112
$3.73 ฿126
21.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₩2,810
$2.06 ฿69.2
1.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₩4,060
$1.46 ฿48.98
106.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,545
$1.35 ฿45.27
150.37%
Eggs
$3.22 ₩4,321
$2.27 ฿76.3
41.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.53 ₩18.2K
$16.31 ฿548
-17.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.81 ₩11.8K
$2.70 ฿90.7
226.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.06 ₩35.0K
$9.20 ฿309
183.26%
Apples (1kg)
$8.59 ₩11.5K
$2.39 ฿80.5
259.41%
Banana (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,546
$1.04 ฿34.80
225.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.23 ₩8,364
$1.60 ฿53.9
289.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.09 ₩8,185
$1.44 ฿48.57
322.92%
Potato (1kg)
$3.97 ₩5,331
$1.30 ฿43.77
205.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.72 ₩3,653
$1.11 ฿37.45
145.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.60 ₩3,492
$0.70 ฿23.65
271.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 ₩1,612
$0.51 ฿17.06
135.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₩4,542
$4.13 ฿139
-18.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.90 ₩21.3K
$17.78 ฿598
-10.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 ₩2,712
$1.63 ฿54.9
23.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 ₩3,875
$2.87 ฿96.4
0.70%
🚌 Getting Around
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,532
$0.86 ฿28.88
32.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.85 ₩62.9K
$53.2 ฿1,787
-11.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 ₩4,610
$1.22 ฿40.99
181.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₩862
$0.56 ฿18.89
14.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.10 ₩12.2K
$2.31 ฿77.8
293.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₩1,856
$1.50 ฿50.4
-8.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K ₩40.0M
$20.9K ฿701.2K
42.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K ₩40.2M
$26.7K ฿898.8K
11.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 ₩276.3K
$61.3 ฿2,059
235.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.21 ₩52.7K
$12.50 ฿420
213.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.22 ₩31.2K
$20.36 ฿685
14.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ₩70.9K
$37.94 ฿1,275
39.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.59 ₩22.3K
$3.77 ฿127
340.05%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 ₩14.8K
$6.60 ฿222
66.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$906 ₩1.2M
$774 ฿26.0K
17.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₩31.3M
$14.4K ฿485.3K
61.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.7 ₩76.2K
$54.8 ฿1,842
3.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.14 ₩57.9K
$25.26 ฿849
70.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.5 ₩106.8K
$90.6 ฿3,045
-12.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 ₩129.1K
$73.3 ฿2,463
31.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$593 ₩796.1K
$459 ฿15.4K
29.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 ₩568.2K
$294 ฿9,877
43.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,531 ₩2.1M
$919 ฿30.9K
66.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$922 ₩1.2M
$552 ฿18.6K
67.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$16.5K ₩22.1M
$1,917 ฿64.5K
758.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,341 ₩11.2M
$1,445 ฿48.6K
477.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Korea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,293 ₩3.1M
$592 ฿19.9K
287.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
5.57
-24.06%

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

Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
South Korea
$449
Chiang Mai
$236 47.4% $213
Accommodation & Living
South Korea
$423
Chiang Mai
$294 30.6% $129
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
$268
Chiang Mai
$94 64.9% $174
Eating Out
South Korea
$165
Chiang Mai
$77 53.1% $88
Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
$124
Chiang Mai
$110 11.5% $14
Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
$75
Chiang Mai
$51 31.6% $24
Getting Around
South Korea
$58
Chiang Mai
$61 4.4% $2.6
Good to know
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
12:57 12:57 PM
10:57 10:57 AM
2 h behind South Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,466,201
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • South Korea Chiang Mai 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • South Korea
  • 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

South Korea vs other spots: cost of living compared

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