Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bournemouth and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,509 in Bournemouth, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Bournemouth
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Bournemouth Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bournemouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,509 per month in Bournemouth vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bournemouth $2,509
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in Bournemouth vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bournemouth $3,689
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,870 per month in Bournemouth vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bournemouth $4,870
Chiang Mai $1,914

Bournemouth costs about 167% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bournemouth sits 86% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 £15.25

$2.26 ฿75.4

799.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £75.6

$19.18 ฿641

425.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 £8.76

$5.59 ฿187

108.94%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.57

$1.72 ฿57.6

176.74%

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

$3.21 £2.41

$0.64 ฿21.54

401.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.53

$0.33 ฿11.18

515.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 £5.09

$2.36 ฿78.7

187.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 £5.39

$3.90 ฿130

84.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.21

$2.05 ฿68.6

-21.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.40 ฿46.70

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.28 ฿42.89

40.63%

Eggs

$4.32 £3.24

$2.25 ฿75.3

92.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 £4.68

$16.94 ฿566

-63.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 £6.96

$2.74 ฿91.6

238.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 £9.51

$9.36 ฿313

35.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 £1.67

$2.40 ฿80.3

-7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.01 ฿33.92

73.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.61 ฿53.9

20.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.52 ฿50.7

38.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.28 ฿42.90

58.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 £0.95

$1.11 ฿37.22

13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 £1.42

$0.72 ฿24.09

162.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.27

$0.52 ฿17.54

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.60 £17.71

$4.33 ฿145

445.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.36 £7.02

$17.73 ฿593

-47.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.10

$1.63 ฿54.4

71.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 £1.87

$2.85 ฿95.3

-12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.64 £2.73

$0.85 ฿28.31

328.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.8 £68.1

$53.9 ฿1,801

68.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.17 ฿39.18

176.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 £1.72

$0.57 ฿19.00

301.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.25 £24.20

$2.37 ฿79.2

1260.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.45 ฿48.32

37.24%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

86.42%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

50.70%

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

$353 £265

$62.3 ฿2,083

466.28%

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

$16.19 £12.14

$12.27 ฿410

31.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.90 £32.18

$19.97 ฿668

114.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.33 £28.00

$37.91 ฿1,267

-1.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.71 £8.78

$3.76 ฿126

211.44%

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 £12.90

$6.71 ฿224

156.18%

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

$2,218 £1,664

$797 ฿26.6K

178.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.8K £25.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

128.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 £66.6

$53.3 ฿1,780

66.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 £32.90

$25.05 ฿837

75.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 £62.0

$91.6 ฿3,062

-9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 £107

$73.5 ฿2,455

94.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 £944

$464 ฿15.5K

171.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 £860

$305 ฿10.2K

276.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 £2,003

$915 ฿30.6K

191.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 £1,424

$552 ฿18.5K

243.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,662 £4,998

$1,912 ฿63.9K

248.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,474 £4,107

$1,438 ฿48.1K

280.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 £2,191

$595 ฿19.9K

390.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

5.57

-10.95%

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

Last update for Bournemouth: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bournemouth

$1.1K 45.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 73.4% $842

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bournemouth

$412 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 77% $317

Eating Out

Bournemouth

$324 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 75.6% $245

Groceries & Markets

Bournemouth

$273 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 12.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Bournemouth

$161 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 32.1% $52

Getting Around

Bournemouth

$120 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 48.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bournemouth

$72 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 28.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,258 in Bournemouth versus $464 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 391% higher in Bournemouth, 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 $101 in Bournemouth versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bournemouth

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

6 h ahead of Bournemouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,491

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

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

From you

Bournemouth
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

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

Bournemouth costs about 167% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,763 per month in Bournemouth and $1,408 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.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Bournemouth, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bournemouth and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Bournemouth at $2,509. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bournemouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,509 in Bournemouth. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Bournemouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.