Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boroko and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $868 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$868

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $868 per month in Boroko vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Boroko $868
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,259 per month in Boroko vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Boroko $1,259
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,649 per month in Boroko vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Boroko $1,649
Chiang Mai $1,979

Boroko is about 7% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Boroko and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Boroko 36% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 PGK 31.69

$2.24 ฿75.6

225.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.42 PGK 150

$19.00 ฿641

81.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 PGK 23.27

$5.55 ฿187

-3.60%

Cappuccino

$2.48 PGK 10.76

$1.67 ฿56.5

48.50%

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

$0.71 PGK 3.07

$0.64 ฿21.55

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PGK 2.78

$0.31 ฿10.31

106.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PGK 11.23

$2.36 ฿79.6

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 PGK 14.86

$3.66 ฿124

-6.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 PGK 6.52

$1.95 ฿65.8

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 PGK 5.03

$1.44 ฿48.48

-19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PGK 5.03

$1.33 ฿45.04

-12.78%

Eggs

$3.55 PGK 15.41

$2.28 ฿77.1

55.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.98 PGK 21.66

$16.45 ฿555

-69.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 PGK 20.80

$2.78 ฿93.9

72.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 PGK 28.73

$9.31 ฿314

-29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 PGK 16.71

$2.35 ฿79.4

63.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.38

$0.97 ฿32.80

217.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 PGK 11.80

$1.60 ฿53.9

70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 PGK 11.75

$1.50 ฿50.6

80.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 PGK 12.25

$1.28 ฿43.12

120.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 PGK 3.66

$1.10 ฿37.19

-23.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 PGK 4.86

$0.71 ฿23.82

57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PGK 1.83

$0.49 ฿16.37

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 PGK 23.54

$4.14 ฿140

30.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PGK 21.53

$17.52 ฿591

-71.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PGK 4.67

$1.61 ฿54.5

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 PGK 6.48

$2.78 ฿94.0

-46.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.83

$0.87 ฿29.31

-51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.88 PGK 126

$54.1 ฿1,826

-46.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 PGK 19.12

$1.16 ฿39.06

279.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 PGK 5.84

$0.53 ฿17.80

152.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 PGK 47.68

$2.42 ฿81.8

353.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 PGK 3.47

$1.45 ฿48.90

-44.83%

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

$35.7K PGK 155.1K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

69.48%

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

$17.6K PGK 76.5K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-34.67%

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

$61.6 PGK 268

$62.2 ฿2,098

-0.93%

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

$20.71 PGK 90.0

$12.17 ฿411

70.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.1 PGK 357

$20.12 ฿679

308.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 PGK 182

$37.31 ฿1,259

12.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 PGK 62.1

$3.77 ฿127

279.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 PGK 28.10

$6.49 ฿219

-0.31%

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

$333 PGK 1,445

$736 ฿24.8K

-54.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,215 PGK 9,626

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-85.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.50 PGK 150

$53.4 ฿1,801

-35.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.91 PGK 56.1

$24.64 ฿831

-47.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.28 PGK 192

$91.5 ฿3,087

-51.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.31 PGK 114

$71.9 ฿2,428

-63.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,336 PGK 14.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

591.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PGK 959

$309 ฿10.4K

-28.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,257 PGK 14.2K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

223.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 PGK 948

$633 ฿21.4K

-65.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$352 PGK 1,531

$590 ฿19.9K

-40.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Boroko: 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

Boroko

$221 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 39.9% $88

Groceries & Markets

Boroko

$204 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boroko

$164 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 42.5% $70

Eating Out

Boroko

$129 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 40% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Boroko

$55 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.2% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Boroko

$53 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 105% $56

Getting Around

Boroko

$42 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 47.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,336 in Boroko 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 run about 67% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Boroko versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Boroko vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Boroko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Boroko

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

3 h behind Boroko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.35 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boroko Chiang Mai 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Boroko
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,302 per month in Boroko 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 $3,336 in Boroko.

Kindergarten costs $333 per month in Boroko and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $868 in Boroko and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Boroko to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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