Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Nong Khai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nong Khai: $910 a month against $1,107 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Nong Khai
Learn more

Nong Khai Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,107

/mo nomad

Nong Khai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Nong Khai

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 Nong Khai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,107 in Bangkok versus $910 in Nong Khai.

Bangkok $1,107
Nong Khai $910

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Bangkok versus $1,489 in Nong Khai.

Bangkok $1,876
Nong Khai $1,489

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,645 in Bangkok versus $2,067 in Nong Khai.

Bangkok $2,645
Nong Khai $2,067

Living in Bangkok is roughly 22% more expensive than in Nong Khai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 18% lower, Nong Khai 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ฿99.6

$3.04 ฿103

-2.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.08 ฿1,285

$26.61 ฿898

43.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ฿253

$6.91 ฿233

8.39%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ฿90.4

$1.96 ฿66.3

36.73%

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

$0.67 ฿22.61

$0.78 ฿26.27

-14.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.91

$0.28 ฿9.28

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿87.5

$1.84 ฿62.2

40.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ฿150

$2.91 ฿98.0

53.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ฿59.1

$1.67 ฿56.3

4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.38 ฿46.53

8.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 ฿46.03

$1.32 ฿44.63

3.03%

Eggs

$2.58 ฿87.2

$2.11 ฿71.1

22.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.27 ฿583

$18.66 ฿630

-7.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ฿136

$2.29 ฿77.3

76.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ฿438

$9.14 ฿308

42.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 ฿130

$2.87 ฿96.9

34.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$1.05 ฿35.33

68.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ฿94.7

$1.84 ฿62.0

52.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 ฿66.3

$1.76 ฿59.5

11.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.47 ฿49.52

14.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 ฿52.4

$1.09 ฿36.83

42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ฿43.04

$1.10 ฿37.05

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.16

$0.50 ฿16.98

-4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 ฿156

$4.21 ฿142

9.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.81 ฿500

$16.35 ฿552

-9.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.3

$1.74 ฿58.6

4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 ฿112

$2.92 ฿98.7

14.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ฿36.01

$0.88 ฿29.81

21.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.42 ฿1,161

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.36 ฿45.83

-21.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.66

$0.97 ฿32.84

23.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 ฿204

$5.18 ฿175

16.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.69

$1.46 ฿49.14

-1.37%

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

$31.2K ฿1.1M

$25.0K ฿844.8K

24.57%

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

$27.2K ฿918.0K

$25.1K ฿846.5K

8.45%

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

$99.5 ฿3,356

$89.5 ฿3,019

11.15%

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

$13.97 ฿471

$11.83 ฿399

18.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 ฿603

$20.72 ฿699

-13.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 ฿1,917

$50.0 ฿1,687

13.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.13 ฿646

$14.75 ฿498

29.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ฿255

$5.74 ฿194

31.71%

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

$810 ฿27.3K

$616 ฿20.8K

31.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$17.5K ฿590.2K

76.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 ฿2,328

$52.1 ฿1,759

32.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.47 ฿1,433

$29.46 ฿994

44.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 ฿3,217

$74.5 ฿2,513

28.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ฿3,589

$78.7 ฿2,654

35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 ฿23.9K

$497 ฿16.8K

42.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ฿11.4K

$283 ฿9,562

19.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,284 ฿77.0K

$1,245 ฿42.0K

83.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$698 ฿23.6K

30.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,177 ฿208.4K

$2,413 ฿81.4K

155.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,221 ฿108.7K

$1,499 ฿50.6K

114.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$620 ฿20.9K

$437 ฿14.7K

41.80%

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 31, 2026

Last update for Nong Khai: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$338 30.5%

Nong Khai

$283 31.1% 16.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$275 24.8%

Nong Khai

$240 26.4% 12.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$141 12.7%

Nong Khai

$106 11.6% 25.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$131 11.9%

Nong Khai

$122 13.4% 7.1% $9.3

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.4%

Nong Khai

$88 9.7% 15.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$72 6.5%

Nong Khai

$62 6.8% 14.5% $10

Getting Around

Bangkok

$46 4.1%

Nong Khai

$9.8 * 1.1% 78.7% $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 $710 in Bangkok and $497 in Nong Khai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangkok pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Bangkok vs $27 in Nong Khai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $240 per month, with Nong Khai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Nong Khai

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

35,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bangkok Nong Khai 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bangkok
Nong Khai

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 Nong Khai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,107 in Bangkok and $910 in Nong Khai, so Nong Khai is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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: $710 in Bangkok versus $497 in Nong Khai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Bangkok. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,107 per month in Bangkok versus $910 in Nong Khai – Nong Khai 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 Nong Khai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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