Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bray and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,126 in Bray, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Bray
Learn more

Bray Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Bray

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,126

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,126 per month in Bray vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bray $3,126
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $4,556 per month in Bray vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bray $4,556
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,986 per month in Bray vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bray $5,986
Chiang Mai $1,903

Bray costs about 238% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bray sits 131% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.73 €21.11

$2.29 ฿76.5

936.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.2

$19.64 ฿656

416.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.57 €12.07

$5.61 ฿188

141.89%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.30

$1.66 ฿55.6

190.96%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$0.70 ฿23.40

327.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.31 ฿10.24

609.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.94 €7.06

$2.41 ฿80.4

229.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 €6.25

$3.71 ฿124

89.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.95 ฿65.3

-16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.41 ฿47.03

62.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.31 ฿43.62

58.02%

Eggs

$4.40 €3.92

$2.18 ฿72.9

101.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 €8.93

$16.65 ฿556

-39.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 €9.79

$2.76 ฿92.2

298.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 €11.87

$9.11 ฿304

46.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$2.39 ฿80.0

15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.03 ฿34.26

117.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.63 ฿54.4

69.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 €3.58

$1.50 ฿50.0

168.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.29 ฿43.13

48.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.37

$1.11 ฿37.03

39.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.72 ฿24.08

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.53 ฿17.59

245.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.13

$4.31 ฿144

372.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.72 €12.20

$17.95 ฿600

-23.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$1.58 ฿52.9

122.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.84 ฿95.0

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.26

$0.86 ฿28.86

195.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €97.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

106.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 €4.67

$1.21 ฿40.29

333.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.57 ฿18.99

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.24 €34.01

$2.35 ฿78.6

1527.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.44 ฿47.96

43.06%

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

$39.5K €35.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

90.30%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

43.10%

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

$271 €241

$62.3 ฿2,083

334.53%

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

$20.64 €18.36

$12.11 ฿405

70.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.20

$19.94 ฿666

154.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 €58.3

$37.07 ฿1,239

76.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 €15.15

$3.78 ฿126

350.79%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 €14.01

$6.50 ฿217

142.46%

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

$1,004 €893

$793 ฿26.5K

26.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K €12.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-1.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.1

$53.7 ฿1,796

84.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.70 €43.32

$24.62 ฿823

97.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.7

$90.9 ฿3,036

19.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$71.1 ฿2,378

59.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 €1,977

$455 ฿15.2K

387.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 €1,502

$298 ฿9,954

466.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,799 €3,379

$908 ฿30.4K

318.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 €2,460

$554 ฿18.5K

399.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K €9,101

$1,931 ฿64.5K

429.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,718 €5,976

$1,445 ฿48.3K

365.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,150 €2,802

$591 ฿19.7K

433.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

5.57

-31.42%

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

Last update for Bray: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bray

$1.7K 54%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 82.4% $1.4K

Eating Out

Bray

$363 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 78.4% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bray

$342 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 72.4% $248

Groceries & Markets

Bray

$336 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 30% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Bray

$166 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 35% $58

Getting Around

Bray

$133 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Bray

$97 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 48.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,222 in Bray versus $455 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 433% higher in Bray, 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 Bray versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Bray

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

13:46 1:46 PM

7 h ahead of Bray

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,512

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bray Chiang Mai 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bray
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

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

Yes – Bray is pricier by about 238%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,690 per month in Bray and $1,388 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,126 in Bray and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 238%.

Public transport costs about 107% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Bray at $3,126. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bray it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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