Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suwon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,372 in Suwon, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Suwon
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Suwon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,372

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Suwon vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Suwon $1,372
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,163 per month in Suwon vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Suwon $2,163
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,954 per month in Suwon vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Suwon $2,954
Chiang Mai $1,979

Suwon costs about 47% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.06 ₩8,118

$2.24 ฿75.5

170.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 ₩40.1K

$19.00 ฿640

57.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ₩10.3K

$5.55 ฿187

37.84%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ₩4,572

$1.67 ฿56.4

104.19%

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

$1.57 ₩2,100

$0.64 ฿21.51

145.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₩790

$0.31 ฿10.29

90.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 ₩5,136

$2.36 ฿79.5

62.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 ₩6,390

$3.66 ฿123

30.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 ₩3,491

$1.95 ฿65.7

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ₩3,482

$1.44 ฿48.41

80.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 ₩4,510

$1.33 ฿44.97

152.63%

Eggs

$3.17 ₩4,249

$2.28 ฿77.0

39.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 ₩14.9K

$16.45 ฿554

-32.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.64 ₩15.6K

$2.78 ฿93.8

318.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 ₩15.3K

$9.31 ฿314

22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 ₩8,338

$2.35 ฿79.3

164.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.93 ₩3,925

$0.97 ฿32.75

202.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.30 ₩7,100

$1.60 ฿53.8

231.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ₩5,904

$1.50 ฿50.6

193.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 ₩4,646

$1.28 ฿43.06

171.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 ₩3,669

$1.10 ฿37.14

149.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.94 ₩6,619

$0.71 ฿23.79

595.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₩1,821

$0.49 ฿16.34

177.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ₩5,000

$4.14 ฿140

-9.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 ₩18.0K

$17.52 ฿590

-23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 ₩3,393

$1.61 ฿54.4

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 ₩5,169

$2.78 ฿93.8

38.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ₩1,658

$0.87 ฿29.27

42.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.67 ₩65.2K

$54.1 ฿1,823

-10.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 ₩3,861

$1.16 ฿39.00

148.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₩842

$0.53 ฿17.78

18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.98 ₩12.0K

$2.42 ฿81.6

271.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₩1,771

$1.45 ฿48.82

-8.97%

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

$28.7K ₩38.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

36.32%

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

$25.2K ₩33.8M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-6.39%

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

$186 ₩248.9K

$62.2 ฿2,095

198.68%

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

$18.20 ₩24.4K

$12.17 ฿410

49.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.99 ₩24.1K

$20.12 ฿678

-10.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 ₩58.6K

$37.31 ฿1,257

17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₩15.8K

$3.77 ฿127

213.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 ₩15.0K

$6.49 ฿219

72.42%

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

$691 ₩926.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

-6.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ₩24.5M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

23.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.03 ₩49.6K

$53.4 ฿1,799

-30.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$109 ₩146.5K

$24.64 ฿830

343.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₩102.5K

$91.5 ฿3,083

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ₩80.4K

$71.9 ฿2,424

-16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ₩587.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ₩471.8K

$309 ฿10.4K

13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ₩1.6M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

17.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₩1.1M

$633 ฿21.3K

29.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K ₩16.9M

$2,363 ฿79.6K

432.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,074 ₩9.5M

$1,589 ฿53.6K

345.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,638 ₩3.5M

$590 ฿19.9K

347.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for Suwon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suwon

$395 28.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 40.7% $161

Accommodation & Living

Suwon

$352 25.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 12.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suwon

$222 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.4% $127

Eating Out

Suwon

$150 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Suwon

$127 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 14.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Suwon

$66 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.9% $16

Getting Around

Suwon

$60 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Suwon versus $482 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 in Suwon are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Suwon versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $395 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Suwon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

2 h behind Suwon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,203,000

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Suwon Chiang Mai 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Suwon
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

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

Suwon costs about 47% 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 $2,057 per month in Suwon 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 $438 in Suwon and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $691 per month in Suwon and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Suwon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,372 in Suwon and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,372 in Suwon. 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, Suwon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.