Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yeosu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,452 in Yeosu, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Yeosu
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Yeosu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Yeosu

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,452

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,452 per month in Yeosu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yeosu $1,452
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,269 per month in Yeosu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yeosu $2,269
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,086 per month in Yeosu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yeosu $3,086
Chiang Mai $1,979

Yeosu costs about 55% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Yeosu sits 7% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.82 ₩7,819

$2.24 ฿75.7

159.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 ₩49.4K

$19.00 ฿642

93.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 ₩8,193

$5.55 ฿188

9.91%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,898

$1.67 ฿56.6

118.56%

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

$1.39 ₩1,865

$0.64 ฿21.56

117.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₩1,053

$0.31 ฿10.32

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,896

$2.36 ฿79.6

54.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 ₩5,719

$3.66 ฿124

16.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,745

$1.95 ฿65.8

4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₩4,115

$1.44 ฿48.51

112.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ₩4,248

$1.33 ฿45.07

137.59%

Eggs

$2.76 ₩3,700

$2.28 ฿77.1

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 ₩15.1K

$16.45 ฿556

-31.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 ₩14.3K

$2.78 ฿94.0

283.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.69 ₩33.2K

$9.31 ฿314

165.20%

Apples (1kg)

$7.67 ₩10.3K

$2.35 ฿79.5

226.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 ₩4,885

$0.97 ฿32.82

275.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.70 ₩10.3K

$1.60 ฿53.9

381.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 ₩8,090

$1.50 ฿50.7

301.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.83 ₩5,146

$1.28 ฿43.15

199.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 ₩4,505

$1.10 ฿37.22

204.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 ₩2,954

$0.71 ฿23.84

209.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₩1,499

$0.49 ฿16.38

128.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ₩4,473

$4.14 ฿140

-19.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.92 ₩20.0K

$17.52 ฿592

-14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,987

$1.61 ฿54.5

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,068

$2.78 ฿94.0

-17.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₩1,503

$0.87 ฿29.33

28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.83 ₩54.8K

$54.1 ฿1,827

-24.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 ₩3,854

$1.16 ฿39.08

147.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,044

$0.53 ฿17.82

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 ₩13.5K

$2.42 ฿81.8

314.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₩1,613

$1.45 ฿48.93

-17.24%

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

$31.4K ₩42.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

48.92%

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

$26.6K ₩35.7M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-1.45%

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

$190 ₩255.7K

$62.2 ฿2,100

206.26%

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

$36.93 ₩49.6K

$12.17 ฿411

203.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.12 ₩29.7K

$20.12 ฿680

9.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ₩72.7K

$37.31 ฿1,260

45.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.30 ₩19.2K

$3.77 ฿127

279.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 ₩14.0K

$6.49 ฿219

60.25%

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

$372 ₩500.1K

$736 ฿24.9K

-49.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K ₩24.9M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

25.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ₩76.5K

$53.4 ฿1,802

6.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.09 ₩51.1K

$24.64 ฿832

54.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 ₩102.0K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₩150.1K

$71.9 ฿2,429

55.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₩661.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

2.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩485.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

16.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 ₩1.6M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

15.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ₩990.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

16.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,166 ₩9.6M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

203.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 ₩7.3M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

242.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,143 ₩2.9M

$590 ฿19.9K

263.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Yeosu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yeosu

$443 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 47.1% $208

Accommodation & Living

Yeosu

$361 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 14.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yeosu

$249 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.1% $155

Eating Out

Yeosu

$144 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 46.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Yeosu

$127 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 14.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Yeosu

$75 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.9% $25

Getting Around

Yeosu

$52 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.9% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $492 in Yeosu 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 Yeosu are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Yeosu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $443 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Yeosu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

22:11 10:11 PM

2 h behind Yeosu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

288,988

127,240

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yeosu Chiang Mai 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Yeosu
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

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

Yeosu costs about 55% 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 $2,178 per month in Yeosu 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 $492 in Yeosu and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $372 per month in Yeosu 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 89% more in Yeosu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,452 in Yeosu 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 $1,452 in Yeosu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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