Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arun and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,629 in Arun, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Arun
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Arun Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arun

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,629

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,629 per month in Arun vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arun $2,629
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,863 per month in Arun vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arun $3,863
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,097 per month in Arun vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arun $5,097
Chiang Mai $1,903

Arun costs about 184% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arun sits 94% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.34 £19.76

$2.29 ฿76.5

1050.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £81.3

$19.64 ฿656

451.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.69 £8.02

$5.61 ฿188

90.55%

Cappuccino

$5.82 £4.37

$1.66 ฿55.6

250.60%

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

$3.02 £2.26

$0.70 ฿23.40

331.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 £1.65

$0.31 ฿10.24

612.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.08 £6.81

$2.41 ฿80.4

276.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 £6.24

$3.71 ฿124

123.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.95 ฿65.3

-3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.41 ฿47.03

43.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.31 ฿43.62

87.02%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$2.18 ฿72.9

133.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.70 £3.52

$16.65 ฿556

-71.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.72 £8.04

$2.76 ฿92.2

288.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 £12.90

$9.11 ฿304

88.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.39 ฿80.0

28.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 £0.83

$1.03 ฿34.26

7.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 £2.25

$1.63 ฿54.4

84.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.55

$1.50 ฿50.0

126.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.29 ฿43.13

24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.11 ฿37.03

62.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 £1.09

$0.72 ฿24.08

101.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.53 ฿17.59

254.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.67 £17.76

$4.31 ฿144

449.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 £9.84

$17.95 ฿600

-26.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.58 ฿52.9

104.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 £3.37

$2.84 ฿95.0

58.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.63 £2.72

$0.86 ฿28.86

322.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.1 £74.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

86.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 £4.29

$1.21 ฿40.29

372.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 £2.42

$0.57 ฿18.99

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.16 £19.62

$2.35 ฿78.6

1013.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.44 ฿47.96

33.33%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

87.37%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

53.19%

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

$370 £277

$62.3 ฿2,083

493.04%

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

$17.94 £13.46

$12.11 ฿405

48.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 £29.98

$19.94 ฿666

100.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 £39.87

$37.07 ฿1,239

43.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.15 £4.61

$6.50 ฿217

-5.38%

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

$2,919 £2,190

$793 ฿26.5K

268.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.4K £27.3K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

145.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 £87.8

$53.7 ฿1,796

117.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 £29.48

$24.62 ฿823

59.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £96.2

$90.9 ฿3,036

41.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 £49.94

$71.1 ฿2,378

-6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 £874

$455 ฿15.2K

155.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 £840

$298 ฿9,954

275.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 £1,691

$908 ฿30.4K

148.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 £1,347

$554 ฿18.5K

224.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,762 £3,572

$1,931 ฿64.5K

146.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,150 £3,113

$1,445 ฿48.3K

187.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.57

-14.90%

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

Last update for Arun: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arun

$1.1K 42.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 73.4% $821

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arun

$428 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 77.9% $333

Eating Out

Arun

$396 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 80.1% $317

Groceries & Markets

Arun

$328 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 28.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Arun

$158 6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 31.5% $50

Getting Around

Arun

$135 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 55.1% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Arun

$65 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in Arun versus $455 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Arun versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Arun

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

04:18 4:18 AM

6 h ahead of Arun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,285

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arun Chiang Mai 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arun
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

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

Arun costs about 184% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,943 per month in Arun and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Arun and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,629 in Arun and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 184%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Arun at $2,629. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,629 in Arun. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Arun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.