Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bath and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,794 in Bath, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Bath
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Bath Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bath

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,794

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,794 in Bath versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Bath $2,794
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,002 in Bath versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Bath $4,002
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,210 in Bath versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Bath $5,210
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Bath is roughly 202% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bath is 106% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.73 £17.80

$2.29 ฿76.5

936.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.8

$19.64 ฿656

414.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £8.09

$5.61 ฿188

92.16%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.86

$1.66 ฿55.6

209.64%

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

$2.59 £1.95

$0.70 ฿23.40

270.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$0.31 ฿10.24

496.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 £5.86

$2.41 ฿80.4

224.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.46 £4.85

$3.71 ฿124

74.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.18

$1.95 ฿65.3

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.41 ฿47.03

20.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.31 ฿43.62

54.20%

Eggs

$4.24 £3.18

$2.18 ฿72.9

94.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 £6.36

$16.65 ฿556

-49.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 £7.27

$2.76 ฿92.2

251.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 £9.79

$9.11 ฿304

43.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 £3.16

$2.39 ฿80.0

76.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.03 ฿34.26

75.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.03

$1.63 ฿54.4

66.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 £3.00

$1.50 ฿50.0

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.29 ฿43.13

61.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.11 ฿37.03

54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.91

$0.72 ฿24.08

69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.47

$0.53 ฿17.59

269.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.05 £17.29

$4.31 ฿144

434.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 £8.01

$17.95 ฿600

-40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 £2.14

$1.58 ฿52.9

80.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.84 ฿95.0

12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 £2.67

$0.86 ฿28.86

313.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 £95.6

$53.3 ฿1,780

139.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.21 ฿40.29

177.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.57 ฿18.99

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.26 £19.70

$2.35 ฿78.6

1017.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.44 ฿47.96

44.44%

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

$37.8K £28.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

82.46%

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

$40.3K £30.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

50.55%

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

$300 £225

$62.3 ฿2,083

381.77%

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

$19.61 £14.71

$12.11 ฿405

61.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.83 £29.13

$19.94 ฿666

94.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 £33.88

$37.07 ฿1,239

21.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 £14.70

$3.78 ฿126

418.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 £11.28

$6.50 ฿217

131.23%

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

$1,631 £1,224

$793 ฿26.5K

105.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K £18.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

69.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 £62.7

$53.7 ฿1,796

55.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.68 £23.02

$24.62 ฿823

24.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 £74.3

$90.9 ฿3,036

9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 £62.2

$71.1 ฿2,378

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 £1,353

$455 ฿15.2K

296.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 £1,055

$298 ฿9,954

371.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,506 £2,630

$908 ฿30.4K

286.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 £1,579

$554 ฿18.5K

280.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,965 £7,476

$1,931 ฿64.5K

416.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,723 £5,043

$1,445 ฿48.3K

365.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,687 £2,766

$591 ฿19.7K

523.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

5.57

-8.26%

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

Last update for Bath: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bath

$1.4K 50.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 78.8% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bath

$359 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 73.7% $264

Eating Out

Bath

$354 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 77.8% $275

Groceries & Markets

Bath

$314 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 24.9% $78

Getting Around

Bath

$154 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 60.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Bath

$133 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 18.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bath

$75 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 33.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,804 in Bath and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bath pays 524% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $101 in Bath vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bath

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

6 h ahead of Bath

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,859

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bath Chiang Mai 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bath
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

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

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 202% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 524% higher in Bath, 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: $1,804 in Bath versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,794 per month in Bath versus $925 in Chiang Mai – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 139% less than in Bath. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,794 in Bath, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Bath. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bath, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Bath. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.