Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braintree and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,191 in Braintree, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Braintree
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Braintree Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Braintree

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,191

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,191 per month in Braintree vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braintree $2,191
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,260 per month in Braintree vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braintree $3,260
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,329 per month in Braintree vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braintree $4,329
Chiang Mai $1,914

Braintree costs about 133% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Braintree sits 62% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 £15.01

$2.26 ฿75.4

785.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 £68.6

$19.18 ฿641

376.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 £7.83

$5.59 ฿187

86.76%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$1.72 ฿57.6

168.02%

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

$1.82 £1.36

$0.64 ฿21.54

184.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 £0.85

$0.33 ฿11.18

242.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 £5.03

$2.36 ฿78.7

184.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 £4.42

$3.90 ฿130

51.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.05 ฿68.6

-30.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.40 ฿46.70

-1.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.28 ฿42.89

28.12%

Eggs

$2.95 £2.21

$2.25 ฿75.3

31.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 £6.49

$16.94 ฿566

-48.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.74 £5.81

$2.74 ฿91.6

182.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 £9.73

$9.36 ฿313

38.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.36

$2.40 ฿80.3

31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.01 ฿33.92

38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 £1.94

$1.61 ฿53.9

60.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 £2.08

$1.52 ฿50.7

82.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.28 ฿42.90

28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.11 ฿37.22

27.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 £0.89

$0.72 ฿24.09

65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.02

$0.52 ฿17.54

161.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.37 £17.53

$4.33 ฿145

439.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 £6.75

$17.73 ฿593

-49.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.63 ฿54.4

65.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 £1.75

$2.85 ฿95.3

-17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.42 £2.56

$0.85 ฿28.31

302.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 £70.9

$53.9 ฿1,801

75.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 £3.58

$1.17 ฿39.18

307.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 £0.97

$0.57 ฿19.00

126.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.52 £16.14

$2.37 ฿79.2

808.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.45 ฿48.32

44.14%

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

$37.4K £28.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

82.59%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

50.92%

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

$249 £186

$62.3 ฿2,083

298.70%

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

$14.35 £10.77

$12.27 ฿410

16.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.48 £30.37

$19.97 ฿668

102.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.52 £34.15

$37.91 ฿1,267

20.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$21.07 £15.81

$6.71 ฿224

214.01%

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

$1,070 £802

$797 ฿26.6K

34.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K £14.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

34.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 £52.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

30.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 £23.43

$25.05 ฿837

24.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 £58.4

$91.6 ฿3,062

-15.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.97 £37.49

$73.5 ฿2,455

-31.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 £915

$464 ฿15.5K

162.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 £758

$305 ฿10.2K

231.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 £1,545

$915 ฿30.6K

125.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 £1,262

$552 ฿18.5K

204.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,118 £3,839

$1,912 ฿63.9K

167.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,798 £2,850

$1,438 ฿48.1K

164.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

5.57

-16.16%

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

Last update for Braintree: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braintree

$1K 46.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 69.8% $705

Eating Out

Braintree

$304 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 74% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braintree

$303 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 68.8% $209

Groceries & Markets

Braintree

$263 12%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 9.6% $25

Getting Around

Braintree

$119 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 48.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Braintree

$103 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 6.4% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Braintree

$88 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 41.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,220 in Braintree 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Braintree versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Braintree

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

6 h ahead of Braintree

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

151,677

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Between locations

Braintree Chiang Mai 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Braintree
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,191 in Braintree, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 133% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,286 per month in Braintree 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 11% more in Braintree, 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 $91.0 in Braintree 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 Braintree at $2,191. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Braintree it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $2,191 in Braintree. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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