Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bendigo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,008 in Bendigo, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Bendigo
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Bendigo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bendigo

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,008

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,008 per month in Bendigo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bendigo $2,008
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,978 per month in Bendigo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bendigo $2,978
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Bendigo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bendigo $3,948
Chiang Mai $1,979

Bendigo costs about 115% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bendigo sits 48% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$24.60

$2.24 ฿75.5

675.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$109

$19.00 ฿640

305.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 A$17.57

$5.55 ฿187

123.42%

Cappuccino

$4.08 A$5.78

$1.67 ฿56.4

144.31%

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

$3.10 A$4.39

$0.64 ฿21.51

384.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 A$3.66

$0.31 ฿10.29

732.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.97 A$14.12

$2.36 ฿79.5

322.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.66 A$12.27

$3.66 ฿123

136.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.92

$1.95 ฿65.7

-30.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 A$4.13

$1.44 ฿48.41

102.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.64

$1.33 ฿44.97

93.23%

Eggs

$4.73 A$6.71

$2.28 ฿77.0

107.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 A$15.15

$16.45 ฿554

-34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 A$14.23

$2.78 ฿93.8

261.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 A$14.95

$9.31 ฿314

13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.04

$2.35 ฿79.3

51.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.31

$0.97 ฿32.75

214.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.59

$1.60 ฿53.8

102.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 A$6.79

$1.50 ฿50.6

220.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.08

$1.28 ฿43.06

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.50

$1.10 ฿37.14

124.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.49

$0.71 ฿23.79

246.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.31

$0.49 ฿16.34

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$63.1

$4.14 ฿140

975.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 A$14.70

$17.52 ฿590

-40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.46 A$7.73

$1.61 ฿54.4

239.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.59

$2.78 ฿93.8

92.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 A$4.88

$0.87 ฿29.27

296.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 A$80.6

$54.1 ฿1,823

5.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 A$5.84

$1.16 ฿39.00

255.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 A$2.00

$0.53 ฿17.78

166.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.84 A$19.61

$2.42 ฿81.6

471.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.80

$1.45 ฿48.82

-12.41%

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

$27.6K A$39.1K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

31.01%

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

$19.7K A$27.9K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-27.02%

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

$142 A$202

$62.2 ฿2,095

129.13%

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

$27.59 A$39.08

$12.17 ฿410

126.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$80.1

$20.12 ฿678

180.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 A$27.88

$3.77 ฿127

422.02%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 A$17.99

$6.49 ฿219

95.69%

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

$2,154 A$3,051

$736 ฿24.8K

192.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K A$42.3K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

102.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 A$116

$53.4 ฿1,799

52.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.98 A$70.8

$24.64 ฿830

102.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$167

$91.5 ฿3,083

29.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 A$192

$71.9 ฿2,424

88.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 A$1,608

$482 ฿16.3K

135.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 A$1,169

$309 ฿10.4K

167.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 A$1,894

$1,006 ฿33.9K

32.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 A$1,767

$633 ฿21.3K

96.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,400 A$6,232

$2,363 ฿79.6K

86.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,892 A$5,514

$1,589 ฿53.6K

144.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,967 A$4,202

$590 ฿19.9K

403.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Bendigo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bendigo

$825 41.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.6% $516

Groceries & Markets

Bendigo

$361 18%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35% $126

Eating Out

Bendigo

$315 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.4% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bendigo

$227 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Bendigo

$173 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 37.3% $65

Getting Around

Bendigo

$82 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 25% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bendigo

$25 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 98% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,135 in Bendigo versus $482 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 in Bendigo are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Bendigo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bendigo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

09:13 9:13 AM

4 h behind Bendigo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,649

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bendigo Chiang Mai 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bendigo
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

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

Yes – Bendigo is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,012 per month in Bendigo and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,135 in Bendigo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Bendigo and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,008 in Bendigo and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 53% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,008 in Bendigo and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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