Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and Chiang Mai

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,017 in Brighton versus $947 in Chiang Mai.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,299 in Brighton versus $1,411 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,581 in Brighton versus $1,874 in Chiang Mai.

Living in Brighton is roughly 218% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brighton is 120% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.51 £18.86

$2.08 ฿68.6

1126.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.7 £72.2

$19.64 ฿646

397.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 £7.55

$5.65 ฿186

80.71%

Cappuccino

$5.37 £3.97

$1.81 ฿59.4

196.69%

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

$4.07 £3.01

$0.71 ฿23.45

473.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 £2.52

$0.32 ฿10.38

965.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.88 £6.57

$2.24 ฿73.6

296.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.27 £6.85

$3.63 ฿119

155.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.42

$1.96 ฿64.4

-1.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 £1.58

$1.50 ฿49.39

42.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.61

$1.34 ฿43.93

61.94%

Eggs

$4.50 £3.33

$2.26 ฿74.5

99.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 £8.93

$16.26 ฿535

-25.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 £6.91

$2.95 ฿97.1

216.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.64 £11.56

$9.94 ฿327

57.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.21

$2.57 ฿84.6

16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 £1.44

$1.06 ฿34.73

83.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 £2.22

$1.61 ฿53.0

86.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 £2.83

$1.52 ฿49.97

151.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 £1.67

$1.27 ฿41.77

77.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$1.07 ฿35.06

79.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.89

$0.72 ฿23.68

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$0.51 ฿16.72

241.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.63 £17.47

$4.19 ฿138

463.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.45 £8.46

$17.87 ฿587

-35.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 £2.20

$1.69 ฿55.7

75.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.39

$2.84 ฿93.3

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.06

$0.93 ฿30.43

344.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 £97.2

$53.9 ฿1,771

144.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 £3.82

$1.23 ฿40.59

320.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 £2.04

$0.58 ฿18.96

375.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.30 £29.79

$2.42 ฿79.7

1565.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.57

$1.41 ฿46.43

51.06%

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

$39.6K £29.3K

$21.4K ฿705.1K

84.60%

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

$40.9K £30.2K

$27.3K ฿898.7K

49.50%

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

$290 £215

$63.7 ฿2,093

355.85%

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

$17.06 £12.61

$12.85 ฿423

32.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.56 £33.68

$20.22 ฿665

125.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 £37.66

$38.74 ฿1,274

31.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.99 £20.69

$3.97 ฿130

605.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.11

$6.74 ฿222

163.20%

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

$2,073 £1,532

$778 ฿25.6K

166.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K £23.2K

$14.6K ฿480.4K

114.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 £69.9

$54.3 ฿1,785

74.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.51 £34.38

$25.45 ฿837

82.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.0

$94.3 ฿3,102

10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.7 £67.8

$73.4 ฿2,415

24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 £1,437

$490 ฿16.1K

297.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 £1,111

$289 ฿9,512

419.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,897 £2,141

$894 ฿29.4K

224.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,273 £1,680

$517 ฿17.0K

339.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,617 £6,369

$1,955 ฿64.3K

340.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,437 £4,758

$1,477 ฿48.6K

335.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,415 £2,524

$602 ฿19.8K

467.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

5.57

-8.08%

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

Last update for Brighton: August 30, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,944 in Brighton and $490 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 467% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $98.0 in Brighton vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $240 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

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

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

Brighton and Chiang Mai differ by about 218% in total monthly costs ($3,017 vs $947 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 467% higher in Brighton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,944 in Brighton versus $490 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,073 in Brighton versus $778 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $947 in Chiang Mai versus $3,017 in Brighton, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Brighton. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Brighton 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 218% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.