Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangor and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,926 in Bangor, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Bangor
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Bangor Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bangor

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,926

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,926 in Bangor versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Bangor $1,926
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Bangor versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Bangor $3,051
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,176 in Bangor versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Bangor $4,176
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Bangor is roughly 106% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bangor is 42% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.76 £17.66

$2.13 ฿71.2

1015.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 £62.4

$18.62 ฿622

350.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 £7.49

$5.60 ฿187

80.00%

Cappuccino

$4.32 £3.21

$1.66 ฿55.5

160.24%

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

$2.01 £1.49

$0.65 ฿21.59

209.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$0.30 ฿10.18

543.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.90

$2.32 ฿77.5

184.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 £5.58

$3.67 ฿122

104.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.37

$2.02 ฿67.3

-8.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 £1.65

$1.41 ฿47.00

57.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.71

$1.39 ฿46.46

65.47%

Eggs

$4.03 £3.00

$2.37 ฿79.0

70.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.32 £7.67

$16.52 ฿551

-37.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 £7.84

$2.67 ฿89.1

294.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 £11.50

$9.02 ฿301

71.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 £1.97

$2.40 ฿80.1

10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$1.04 ฿34.76

69.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 £1.83

$1.66 ฿55.4

48.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.53

$1.56 ฿52.0

117.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 £1.13

$1.24 ฿41.31

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$1.09 ฿36.27

63.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.96

$0.76 ฿25.43

71.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.32

$0.51 ฿17.16

247.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.47 £17.45

$4.12 ฿138

469.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 £7.52

$17.93 ฿598

-43.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 £2.32

$1.62 ฿54.2

92.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.40

$2.82 ฿94.2

14.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 £3.00

$0.93 ฿31.19

334.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 £74.0

$52.9 ฿1,766

88.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 £3.50

$1.18 ฿39.28

298.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 £1.66

$0.17 ฿5.72

1211.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.98 £18.57

$1.81 ฿60.5

1280.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.47 ฿49.16

34.01%

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

$36.5K £27.1K

$21.0K ฿701.4K

73.76%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

$26.5K ฿885.1K

52.76%

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

$319 £237

$62.6 ฿2,088

410.65%

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

$24.19 £17.98

$11.60 ฿387

108.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.03 £29.75

$20.30 ฿678

97.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.68 £32.47

$37.88 ฿1,264

15.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.37 £15.14

$3.70 ฿123

450.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 £10.54

$6.51 ฿217

117.82%

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

$1,896 £1,409

$727 ฿24.3K

160.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.5K £19.7K

$16.6K ฿553.2K

60.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £84.6

$53.5 ฿1,787

112.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 £39.02

$24.80 ฿828

111.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £77.7

$90.4 ฿3,017

15.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 £90.2

$72.0 ฿2,402

68.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 £449

$481 ฿16.1K

25.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 £374

$310 ฿10.3K

62.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 £948

$1,058 ฿35.3K

20.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 £810

$659 ฿22.0K

65.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,872 £4,364

$2,418 ฿80.7K

142.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,308 £3,202

$1,609 ฿53.7K

167.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,398 £1,782

$595 ฿19.9K

303.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.57

-1.26%

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

Last update for Bangor: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangor

$503 26.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 38.4% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangor

$384 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 75.4% $289

Eating Out

Bangor

$336 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 77.2% $259

Groceries & Markets

Bangor

$324 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 26.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Bangor

$176 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 38.6% $68

Getting Around

Bangor

$132 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 55.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Bangor

$72 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $604 in Bangor and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangor pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Bangor vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bangor

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

7 h ahead of Bangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,988

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bangor Chiang Mai 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangor
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

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

Chiang Mai is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Bangor is about 4 times higher, 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: $604 in Bangor versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $84 in Bangor. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,926 per month in Bangor versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Bangor and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Bangor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.