Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnsley and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,892 in Barnsley, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Barnsley
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Barnsley Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Barnsley

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,892

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,892 per month in Barnsley vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barnsley $1,892
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,842 per month in Barnsley vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barnsley $2,842
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,792 per month in Barnsley vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barnsley $3,792
Chiang Mai $1,903

Barnsley costs about 104% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barnsley sits 40% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.36 £18.28

$2.29 ฿76.5

963.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 £62.9

$19.64 ฿656

326.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.89

$5.61 ฿188

87.52%

Cappuccino

$4.81 £3.61

$1.66 ฿55.6

189.76%

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

$2.39 £1.79

$0.70 ฿23.40

241.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 £1.22

$0.31 ฿10.24

422.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 £4.46

$2.41 ฿80.4

146.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 £5.01

$3.71 ฿124

80.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.95 ฿65.3

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.41 ฿47.03

31.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.31 ฿43.62

53.44%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.00

$2.18 ฿72.9

83.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 £6.53

$16.65 ฿556

-47.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 £6.28

$2.76 ฿92.2

203.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.58 £10.94

$9.11 ฿304

60.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$2.39 ฿80.0

25.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.03 ฿34.26

87.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.63 ฿54.4

60.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$1.50 ฿50.0

96.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.29 ฿43.13

47.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.11 ฿37.03

45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 £1.13

$0.72 ฿24.08

109.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.09

$0.53 ฿17.59

175.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.72 £17.80

$4.31 ฿144

450.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 £8.52

$17.95 ฿600

-36.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 £2.59

$1.58 ฿52.9

118.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 £2.47

$2.84 ฿95.0

15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 £1.96

$0.86 ฿28.86

203.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.24 £3.93

$1.21 ฿40.29

333.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 £1.04

$0.57 ฿18.99

142.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.06 £14.30

$2.35 ฿78.6

711.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.44 ฿47.96

38.19%

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

$38.3K £28.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

84.87%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

52.23%

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

$283 £213

$62.3 ฿2,083

354.68%

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

$20.34 £15.26

$12.11 ฿405

67.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.95 £32.97

$19.94 ฿666

120.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 £50.4

$37.07 ฿1,239

81.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 £9.51

$6.50 ฿217

95.08%

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

$1,486 £1,115

$793 ฿26.5K

87.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K £12.3K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

10.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 £45.04

$53.7 ฿1,796

11.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.02 £30.77

$24.62 ฿823

66.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 £69.6

$90.9 ฿3,036

2.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 £59.8

$71.1 ฿2,378

11.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 £691

$455 ฿15.2K

102.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 £495

$298 ฿9,954

121.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 £1,010

$908 ฿30.4K

48.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 £826

$554 ฿18.5K

98.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,966 £2,225

$591 ฿19.7K

402.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.61

5.57

0.72%

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

Last update for Barnsley: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnsley

$660 34.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 54.9% $362

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnsley

$348 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 72.9% $253

Eating Out

Barnsley

$343 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 77.1% $265

Groceries & Markets

Barnsley

$302 16%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 22.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Barnsley

$123 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 12.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barnsley

$93 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45.9% $43

Getting Around

Barnsley

$23 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 169% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $921 in Barnsley versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 402% higher in Barnsley, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Barnsley versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Barnsley

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

6 h ahead of Barnsley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

245,199

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Barnsley Chiang Mai 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnsley
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

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

Yes – Barnsley is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,838 per month in Barnsley and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,892 in Barnsley and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 104%.

Kindergarten costs $1,486 per month in Barnsley and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Barnsley at $1,892. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barnsley it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barnsley makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.