Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albury and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,246 in Albury, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Albury
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Albury Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Albury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,246

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,246 in Albury versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Albury $2,246
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,352 in Albury versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Albury $3,352
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,458 in Albury versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Albury $4,458
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Albury is roughly 139% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Albury is 66% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 A$29.97

$2.26 ฿75.4

821.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 A$127

$19.18 ฿641

359.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 A$15.14

$5.59 ฿187

88.19%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.94

$1.72 ฿57.6

140.12%

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

$3.05 A$4.39

$0.64 ฿21.54

376.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 A$3.59

$0.33 ฿11.18

654.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 A$10.15

$2.36 ฿78.7

198.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 A$10.10

$3.90 ฿130

80.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 A$2.20

$2.05 ฿68.6

-25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 A$4.59

$1.40 ฿46.70

127.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$1.28 ฿42.89

96.88%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.42

$2.25 ฿75.3

129.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 A$12.36

$16.94 ฿566

-49.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.73 A$14.01

$2.74 ฿91.6

255.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.75 A$18.34

$9.36 ฿313

36.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.72

$2.40 ฿80.3

36.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.57

$1.01 ฿33.92

214.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 A$4.90

$1.61 ฿53.9

111.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 A$7.60

$1.52 ฿50.7

247.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$1.28 ฿42.90

138.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 A$3.04

$1.11 ฿37.22

90.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 A$3.27

$0.72 ฿24.09

215.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.99

$0.52 ฿17.54

165.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.71 A$39.88

$4.33 ฿145

539.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 A$19.69

$17.73 ฿593

-22.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 A$6.15

$1.63 ฿54.4

161.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 A$7.75

$2.85 ฿95.3

89.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.86 A$5.55

$0.85 ฿28.31

354.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 A$103

$53.9 ฿1,801

32.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 A$4.94

$1.17 ฿39.18

194.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.31

$0.57 ฿19.00

180.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.17 A$59.3

$2.37 ฿79.2

1637.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.45 ฿48.32

-10.34%

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

$26.6K A$38.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

29.76%

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

$27.9K A$40.1K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

5.06%

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

$184 A$264

$62.3 ฿2,083

194.58%

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

$26.90 A$38.70

$12.27 ฿410

119.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 A$79.2

$19.97 ฿668

175.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$138 A$198

$37.91 ฿1,267

263.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.37 A$32.19

$3.76 ฿126

494.95%

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 A$18.57

$6.71 ฿224

92.40%

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

$2,164 A$3,114

$797 ฿26.6K

171.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

38.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 A$90.2

$53.3 ฿1,780

17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.39 A$61.0

$25.05 ฿837

69.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 A$140

$91.6 ฿3,062

5.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$154

$73.5 ฿2,455

45.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 A$1,586

$464 ฿15.5K

137.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 A$1,288

$305 ฿10.2K

193.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 A$2,731

$915 ฿30.6K

107.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 A$1,998

$552 ฿18.5K

151.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,706 A$6,772

$595 ฿19.9K

690.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Albury: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albury

$895 39.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66% $590

Groceries & Markets

Albury

$365 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 34.7% $127

Eating Out

Albury

$319 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 75.2% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albury

$266 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 64.4% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Albury

$164 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 68.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Albury

$139 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 21.3% $30

Getting Around

Albury

$98 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 37.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,102 in Albury and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albury pays 691% 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: $88.0 in Albury vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Albury

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

01:32 1:32 AM

4 h behind Albury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,323

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 18, 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 18, 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

Albury Chiang Mai 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Albury
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 139% lower than in Albury. 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 691% higher in Albury, 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: $1,102 in Albury versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Albury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $88.0 in Albury. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,246 in Albury, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Albury. 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 $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Albury 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 139% less than in Albury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.