Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $925 a month against $1,125 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,125

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,125 in Bangkok versus $925 in Maha Sarakham.

Bangkok $1,125
Maha Sarakham $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Bangkok versus $1,487 in Maha Sarakham.

Bangkok $1,837
Maha Sarakham $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Bangkok versus $2,049 in Maha Sarakham.

Bangkok $2,549
Maha Sarakham $2,049

Living in Bangkok is roughly 22% more expensive than in Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 17% lower, Maha Sarakham 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿98.1

$3.06 ฿103

-5.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.48 ฿1,198

$24.12 ฿815

47.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 ฿249

$7.57 ฿256

-2.64%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿92.2

$1.93 ฿65.3

41.45%

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

$0.67 ฿22.75

$0.66 ฿22.18

1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.96

$0.33 ฿11.03

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿88.8

$2.11 ฿71.4

24.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ฿153

$2.96 ฿100

53.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿62.3

$1.78 ฿60.0

3.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.98

$1.47 ฿49.70

0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.61

$1.37 ฿46.27

2.92%

Eggs

$2.60 ฿87.9

$1.99 ฿67.0

30.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿584

$16.71 ฿564

3.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ฿120

$2.69 ฿90.7

31.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ฿428

$10.30 ฿348

23.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ฿125

$2.91 ฿98.2

27.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿58.2

$1.06 ฿35.81

62.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.6

$2.15 ฿72.6

27.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 ฿66.3

$1.89 ฿63.7

3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.52 ฿51.4

9.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.06 ฿35.79

42.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.88

$1.08 ฿36.38

17.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.96

$0.53 ฿18.06

-5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ฿162

$4.36 ฿147

10.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 ฿503

$17.70 ฿598

-15.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿62.1

$1.71 ฿57.9

7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ฿109

$2.89 ฿97.5

11.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.92 ฿31.12

10.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.37 ฿1,194

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.48

$1.16 ฿39.25

-9.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.66

$1.12 ฿37.90

7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ฿206

$6.06 ฿205

0.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿48.30

$1.34 ฿45.41

6.72%

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

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$26.4K ฿892.2K

16.48%

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

$26.9K ฿907.8K

$26.8K ฿905.1K

0.30%

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

$109 ฿3,668

$82.2 ฿2,777

32.08%

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

$14.94 ฿504

$11.66 ฿394

28.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ฿610

$18.97 ฿641

-4.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ฿1,900

$47.45 ฿1,602

18.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.45 ฿623

$13.36 ฿451

38.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ฿252

$6.58 ฿222

13.37%

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

$802 ฿27.1K

$581 ฿19.6K

38.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ฿573.2K

$10.9K ฿368.8K

55.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ฿2,416

$50.4 ฿1,700

42.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.12 ฿1,422

$29.75 ฿1,005

41.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 ฿3,279

$77.1 ฿2,605

25.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,604

$76.1 ฿2,571

40.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 ฿24.1K

$439 ฿14.8K

62.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ฿11.7K

$298 ฿10.1K

16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 ฿74.9K

$1,135 ฿38.3K

95.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ฿27.7K

$686 ฿23.2K

19.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,948 ฿200.9K

$1,968 ฿66.5K

202.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 ฿106.4K

$1,481 ฿50.0K

112.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ฿20.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 25, 2026

Last update for Maha Sarakham: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$347 30.9%

Maha Sarakham

$298 32.3% 14% $48

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$271 24.1%

Maha Sarakham

$246 26.7% 9.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.7%

Maha Sarakham

$105 11.4% 26.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$142 12.6%

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.2% 20.3% $29

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.3%

Maha Sarakham

$91 9.8% 13% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.3%

Maha Sarakham

$61 6.6% 14.9% $11

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.1%

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1% 77.5% $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 $439 in Maha Sarakham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Bangkok vs $24 in Maha Sarakham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $246 per month, with Maha Sarakham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

46,523

💱 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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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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,125 in Bangkok and $925 in Maha Sarakham, so Maha Sarakham is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,687 in Bangkok and $1,387 in Maha Sarakham 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: $713 in Bangkok versus $439 in Maha Sarakham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Bangkok. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,125 per month in Bangkok versus $925 in Maha Sarakham – Maha Sarakham is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Maha Sarakham are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.