Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blacktown and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,459 in Blacktown, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Blacktown
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Blacktown Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Blacktown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,459

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,459 in Blacktown versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Blacktown $2,459
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,687 in Blacktown versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Blacktown $3,687
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,915 in Blacktown versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Blacktown $4,915
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Blacktown is roughly 163% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Blacktown is 81% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.72 A$29.45

$2.24 ฿75.7

825.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 A$129

$19.00 ฿642

376.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 A$15.21

$5.55 ฿188

92.79%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.71

$1.67 ฿56.6

140.72%

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

$3.06 A$4.34

$0.64 ฿21.56

378.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 A$3.60

$0.31 ฿10.32

719.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.04

$2.36 ฿79.6

258.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 A$13.98

$3.66 ฿124

168.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.20

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 A$4.62

$1.44 ฿48.51

125.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.54

$1.33 ฿45.07

87.22%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.66

$2.28 ฿77.1

136.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 A$18.36

$16.45 ฿556

-21.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.72

$2.78 ฿94.0

247.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.16 A$21.54

$9.31 ฿314

62.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.71

$2.35 ฿79.5

71.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.59

$0.97 ฿32.82

232.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 A$5.14

$1.60 ฿53.9

125.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 A$7.08

$1.50 ฿50.7

232.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.55

$1.28 ฿43.15

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.03

$1.10 ฿37.22

157.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.54

$0.71 ฿23.84

250.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$1.99

$0.49 ฿16.38

185.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.08 A$62.6

$4.14 ฿140

964.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.13 A$20.07

$17.52 ฿592

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.83 A$6.87

$1.61 ฿54.5

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 A$8.13

$2.78 ฿94.0

105.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.87 ฿29.33

178.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 A$120

$54.1 ฿1,827

55.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 A$5.91

$1.16 ฿39.08

258.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$0.53 ฿17.82

194.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.76 A$60.8

$2.42 ฿81.8

1666.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.97

$1.45 ฿48.93

-4.83%

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

$27.6K A$39.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

31.04%

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

$26.0K A$37.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-3.42%

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

$181 A$257

$62.2 ฿2,100

190.59%

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

$27.34 A$38.85

$12.17 ฿411

124.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 A$80.1

$20.12 ฿680

180.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 A$91.2

$37.31 ฿1,260

71.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.91 A$28.30

$3.77 ฿127

428.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.55 A$22.10

$6.49 ฿219

139.60%

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

$2,531 A$3,596

$736 ฿24.9K

243.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

39.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$109

$53.4 ฿1,802

43.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 A$81.9

$24.64 ฿832

133.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 A$156

$91.5 ฿3,089

19.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$190

$71.9 ฿2,429

86.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 A$2,107

$482 ฿16.3K

207.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 A$1,558

$309 ฿10.4K

254.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,191 A$3,114

$1,006 ฿34.0K

117.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 A$2,555

$633 ฿21.4K

183.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,217 A$8,834

$2,363 ฿79.8K

163.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,514 A$6,413

$1,589 ฿53.7K

184.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Blacktown: 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

Blacktown

$1.1K 44.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.8% $788

Groceries & Markets

Blacktown

$397 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 40.9% $162

Eating Out

Blacktown

$331 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.5% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blacktown

$264 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Blacktown

$170 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 36.1% $61

Getting Around

Blacktown

$106 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Blacktown

$95 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 47.2% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,483 in Blacktown and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $91 in Blacktown vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Blacktown

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

4 h behind Blacktown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,942

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Blacktown Chiang Mai 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Blacktown
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

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

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 163% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,689 in Blacktown and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,483 in Blacktown versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 36% less than in Blacktown. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,531 in Blacktown versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Blacktown 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 62% less than in Blacktown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.