Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashton-under-Lyne and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashton-under-Lyne and Chiang Mai

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,312 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $852 in Chiang Mai.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,428 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $1,354 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,543 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $1,857 in Chiang Mai.

Living in Ashton-under-Lyne is roughly 171% more expensive than Chiang Mai, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashton-under-Lyne is 73% above, Chiang Mai is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 £15.37

$1.96 ฿63.6

959.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.8 £71.6

$18.81 ฿611

414.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 £7.14

$7.92 ฿258

21.84%

Cappuccino

$4.74 £3.51

$1.91 ฿62.2

148.17%

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

$2.14 £1.59

$0.84 ฿27.25

154.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.11

$0.35 ฿11.44

328.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 £4.97

$2.21 ฿71.7

203.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 £4.49

$3.80 ฿124

59.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.21

$1.64 ฿53.2

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.22

$1.62 ฿52.8

1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 £1.59

$1.18 ฿38.40

81.36%

Eggs

$3.85 £2.85

$2.01 ฿65.4

91.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 £6.31

$15.89 ฿517

-46.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 £6.39

$3.01 ฿98.0

187.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 £11.12

$10.77 ฿350

39.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 £2.09

$2.61 ฿85.0

8.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 £1.18

$1.22 ฿39.65

31.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 £1.91

$1.70 ฿55.4

51.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 £2.75

$1.58 ฿51.2

135.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 £1.37

$1.32 ฿42.89

40.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.35

$1.17 ฿38.01

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.93

$0.67 ฿21.85

88.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 £0.94

$0.56 ฿18.21

126.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.11 £14.14

$4.53 ฿147

321.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 £7.97

$18.20 ฿592

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 £1.84

$1.83 ฿59.6

35.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.12

$3.23 ฿105

-11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 £2.51

$0.89 ฿28.83

280.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 £65.1

$19.38 ฿630

354.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 £3.00

$1.35 ฿43.95

200.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 £1.15

$1.35 ฿43.79

15.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.34 £12.09

$8.25 ฿268

98.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.41

$1.27 ฿41.40

50.39%

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

$38.2K £28.3K

$21.2K ฿687.8K

80.59%

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

$37.5K £27.8K

$22.5K ฿731.0K

66.89%

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

$286 £212

$70.2 ฿2,281

308.17%

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

$18.13 £13.42

$13.77 ฿448

31.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.57 £31.51

$17.60 ฿572

141.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.73 £33.84

$41.57 ฿1,352

10.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.25 £14.99

$6.60 ฿215

206.82%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 £10.15

$5.78 ฿188

137.37%

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

$1,653 £1,223

$306 ฿9,953

439.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K £12.2K

$14.8K ฿482.0K

10.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 £65.9

$54.4 ฿1,768

63.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.56 £30.76

$26.14 ฿850

58.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 £66.3

$84.5 ฿2,748

5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 £79.4

$69.4 ฿2,257

54.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 £900

$424 ฿13.8K

186.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 £735

$238 ฿7,743

317.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 £1,481

$825 ฿26.8K

142.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 £1,253

$515 ฿16.7K

228.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 £1,982

$2,049 ฿66.6K

30.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,313 £1,711

$1,523 ฿49.5K

51.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$635 ฿20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.76

15.20%

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

Last update for Ashton-under-Lyne: April 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,216 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $424 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $97.0 in Ashton-under-Lyne vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $243 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

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

Ashton-under-Lyne vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 171% lower than in Ashton-under-Lyne. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,468 in Ashton-under-Lyne and $1,278 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,216 in Ashton-under-Lyne versus $424 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Ashton-under-Lyne. 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 $97.0 in Ashton-under-Lyne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $852 in Chiang Mai versus $2,312 in Ashton-under-Lyne, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Ashton-under-Lyne. 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 $852 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ashton-under-Lyne 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 171% less than in Ashton-under-Lyne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.