Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albany and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,513 in Albany, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Albany
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Albany Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Albany

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,513

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,513 in Albany versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Albany $2,513
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,653 in Albany versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Albany $3,653
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,793 in Albany versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Albany $4,793
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Albany is roughly 172% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Albany is 85% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 A$27.84

$2.29 ฿76.5

744.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$19.64 ฿656

323.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 A$14.73

$5.61 ฿188

82.53%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.49

$1.66 ฿55.6

171.69%

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

$2.37 A$3.41

$0.70 ฿23.40

238.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 A$2.96

$0.31 ฿10.24

564.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 A$12.16

$2.41 ฿80.4

250.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.69

$3.71 ฿124

100.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.16

$1.95 ฿65.3

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.81

$1.41 ฿47.03

87.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.26

$1.31 ฿43.62

72.52%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.67

$2.18 ฿72.9

144.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.67

$16.65 ฿556

-42.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 A$13.75

$2.76 ฿92.2

246.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 A$21.10

$9.11 ฿304

60.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 A$6.14

$2.39 ฿80.0

78.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.44

$1.03 ฿34.26

199.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.70

$1.63 ฿54.4

100.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 A$6.48

$1.50 ฿50.0

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.05

$1.29 ฿43.13

117.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$1.11 ฿37.03

116.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 A$3.04

$0.72 ฿24.08

193.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.23

$0.53 ฿17.59

192.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.20 A$59.3

$4.31 ฿144

855.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 A$21.34

$17.95 ฿600

-17.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.77 A$6.87

$1.58 ฿52.9

201.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 A$7.39

$2.84 ฿95.0

80.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.05

$0.86 ฿28.86

226.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.2 A$114

$53.3 ฿1,780

48.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.08

$1.21 ฿40.29

191.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.57 ฿18.99

177.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.48 A$56.8

$2.35 ฿78.6

1580.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.71

$1.44 ฿47.96

-17.36%

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

$27.3K A$39.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

31.90%

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

$30.1K A$43.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

12.29%

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

$200 A$288

$62.3 ฿2,083

220.89%

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

$27.41 A$39.44

$12.11 ฿405

126.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.33 A$68.1

$19.94 ฿666

137.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$80.0

$37.07 ฿1,239

50.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 A$25.14

$3.78 ฿126

362.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 A$20.76

$6.50 ฿217

122.00%

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

$2,179 A$3,136

$793 ฿26.5K

174.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K A$28.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

35.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 A$113

$53.7 ฿1,796

46.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$77.4

$24.62 ฿823

118.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$157

$90.9 ฿3,036

19.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$71.1 ฿2,378

69.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 A$1,977

$455 ฿15.2K

201.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 A$1,732

$298 ฿9,954

304.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 A$3,065

$908 ฿30.4K

134.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 A$2,651

$554 ฿18.5K

232.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,793 A$8,337

$1,931 ฿64.5K

200.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,841 A$6,966

$1,445 ฿48.3K

235.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,646 A$3,808

$591 ฿19.7K

347.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.57

4.85%

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

Last update for Albany: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albany

$1.2K 47.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 75.3% $906

Groceries & Markets

Albany

$372 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 36.6% $136

Eating Out

Albany

$314 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 75% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albany

$275 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 65.6% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Albany

$163 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 33.5% $55

Getting Around

Albany

$102 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 40.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Albany

$84 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 40.7% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,374 in Albany and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albany pays 348% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Albany vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Albany

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

1 h behind Albany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,128

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Albany Chiang Mai 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Albany
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 172% lower than in Albany. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 348% higher in Albany, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,374 in Albany versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,513 per month in Albany versus $925 in Chiang Mai – a 172% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 49% less than in Albany. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,513 in Albany, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Albany. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $925 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Albany and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 172% less than in Albany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.