Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Chaiyaphum

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaiyaphum: $915 a month against $1,125 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Chaiyaphum
Learn more

Chaiyaphum Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,125

/mo nomad

Chaiyaphum

🇹🇭 Thailand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Chaiyaphum

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bangkok and in Chaiyaphum actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,125 in Bangkok versus $915 in Chaiyaphum.

Bangkok $1,125
Chaiyaphum $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Bangkok versus $1,534 in Chaiyaphum.

Bangkok $1,837
Chaiyaphum $1,534

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Bangkok versus $2,153 in Chaiyaphum.

Bangkok $2,549
Chaiyaphum $2,153

Living in Bangkok is roughly 23% more expensive than in Chaiyaphum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 17% lower, Chaiyaphum 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿98.1

$1.16 ฿39.20

150.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.48 ฿1,198

$35.17 ฿1,188

0.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 ฿249

$6.30 ฿213

16.98%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿92.2

$1.17 ฿39.66

133.33%

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

$0.67 ฿22.75

$0.46 ฿15.60

45.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.96

$0.37 ฿12.34

-13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿88.8

$2.70 ฿91.2

-2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ฿153

$4.55 ฿154

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿62.3

$1.83 ฿61.9

1.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.98

$1.48 ฿50.1

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.61

$1.40 ฿47.21

0.71%

Eggs

$2.60 ฿87.9

$1.51 ฿51.0

72.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿584

$17.62 ฿595

-1.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ฿120

$3.67 ฿124

-3.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ฿428

$13.24 ฿447

-4.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ฿125

$3.90 ฿132

-5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿58.2

$0.62 ฿20.90

177.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.6

$2.72 ฿91.9

0.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 ฿66.3

$1.94 ฿65.5

1.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.74 ฿58.9

-4.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.56 ฿52.6

-3.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.88

$1.28 ฿43.16

-0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.96

$0.29 ฿9.75

72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ฿162

$4.82 ฿163

-0.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 ฿503

$15.03 ฿508

-1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿62.1

$1.82 ฿61.5

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ฿109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.92 ฿31.03

10.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.37 ฿1,194

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.48

$1.07 ฿36.07

-1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.66

$1.17 ฿39.49

2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ฿206

$5.83 ฿197

4.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿48.30

$1.08 ฿36.37

32.41%

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

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$31.7K ฿1.1M

-2.84%

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

$26.9K ฿907.8K

$26.7K ฿902.3K

0.60%

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

$109 ฿3,668

$44.02 ฿1,486

146.73%

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

$14.94 ฿504

$10.98 ฿371

36.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ฿610

$11.68 ฿395

54.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ฿1,900

$47.96 ฿1,620

17.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.45 ฿623

$13.14 ฿444

40.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ฿252

$7.57 ฿256

-1.45%

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

$802 ฿27.1K

$560 ฿18.9K

43.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ฿573.2K

$16.1K ฿544.8K

5.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ฿2,416

$69.9 ฿2,361

2.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.12 ฿1,422

$42.21 ฿1,426

-0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 ฿3,279

$100 ฿3,391

-3.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,604

$106 ฿3,588

0.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 ฿24.1K

$431 ฿14.6K

65.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ฿11.7K

$301 ฿10.2K

15.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 ฿74.9K

$1,130 ฿38.2K

96.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ฿27.7K

$695 ฿23.5K

17.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,948 ฿200.9K

$1,943 ฿65.6K

206.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 ฿106.4K

$1,456 ฿49.2K

116.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ฿20.7K

$446 ฿15.0K

37.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chaiyaphum: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$347 30.9%

Chaiyaphum

$301 32.9% 13.3% $46

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$271 24.1%

Chaiyaphum

$262 28.6% 3.4% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.7%

Chaiyaphum

$143 15.7% 0.4% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$142 12.6%

Chaiyaphum

$67 7.3% 52.9% $75

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.3%

Chaiyaphum

$68 7.5% 34.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.3%

Chaiyaphum

$63 6.9% 11.4% $8.1

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.1%

Chaiyaphum

$11 * 1.2% 77.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $713 in Bangkok and $431 in Chaiyaphum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangkok pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Bangkok vs $35 in Chaiyaphum. Groceries flip the comparison at $271 vs $262, with Chaiyaphum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Chaiyaphum

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

42,436

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bangkok Chaiyaphum 280 km

From you

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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

Bangkok vs Chaiyaphum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangkok and Chaiyaphum differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,125 vs $915 including rent). Chaiyaphum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Bangkok, 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: $713 in Bangkok versus $431 in Chaiyaphum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $802 in Bangkok versus $560 in Chaiyaphum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,125 per month in Bangkok versus $915 in Chaiyaphum – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Chaiyaphum wins on affordability, Bangkok on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.