Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Broken Hill and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,371 in Broken Hill, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
Learn more

Broken Hill Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,371

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,371 in Broken Hill versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Broken Hill $2,371
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,506 in Broken Hill versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Broken Hill $3,506
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,641 in Broken Hill versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Broken Hill $4,641
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Broken Hill is roughly 153% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Broken Hill is 74% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 A$23.94

$2.24 ฿75.5

648.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$19.00 ฿640

338.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 A$13.01

$5.55 ฿187

64.14%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.90

$1.67 ฿56.4

147.31%

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

$2.79 A$3.99

$0.64 ฿21.51

335.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 A$3.33

$0.31 ฿10.29

651.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 A$10.66

$2.36 ฿79.5

216.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.00 A$10.00

$3.66 ฿123

91.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.52

$1.95 ฿65.7

-9.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 A$4.00

$1.44 ฿48.41

94.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.91

$1.33 ฿44.97

53.38%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.91

$2.28 ฿77.0

142.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 A$13.74

$16.45 ฿554

-41.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 A$14.54

$2.78 ฿93.8

266.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 A$23.35

$9.31 ฿314

75.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 A$6.07

$2.35 ฿79.3

80.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.06

$0.97 ฿32.75

193.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$1.60 ฿53.8

86.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 A$6.74

$1.50 ฿50.6

214.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.32

$1.28 ฿43.06

136.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.34

$1.10 ฿37.14

112.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 A$3.19

$0.71 ฿23.79

214.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 A$2.22

$0.49 ฿16.34

218.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$48.29 A$69.0

$4.14 ฿140

1066.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 A$21.76

$17.52 ฿590

-13.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.21 A$6.01

$1.61 ฿54.4

161.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 A$7.82

$2.78 ฿93.8

96.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.85

$0.87 ฿29.27

210.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.7 A$109

$54.1 ฿1,823

41.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 A$5.39

$1.16 ฿39.00

225.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 A$2.57

$0.53 ฿17.78

239.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.58 A$63.7

$2.42 ฿81.6

1742.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.45 ฿48.82

4.83%

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

$30.7K A$43.9K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

45.84%

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

$24.5K A$35.0K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-9.05%

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

$205 A$293

$62.2 ฿2,095

229.81%

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

$25.11 A$35.87

$12.17 ฿410

106.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.6

$20.12 ฿678

184.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 A$90.9

$37.31 ฿1,257

70.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 A$21.63

$3.77 ฿127

301.86%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 A$19.96

$6.49 ฿219

115.25%

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

$2,372 A$3,388

$736 ฿24.8K

222.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K A$30.9K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

46.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 A$98.5

$53.4 ฿1,799

29.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.07 A$68.7

$24.64 ฿830

95.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$91.5 ฿3,083

15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$178

$71.9 ฿2,424

73.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 A$2,277

$482 ฿16.3K

230.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 A$1,528

$309 ฿10.4K

246.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 A$3,216

$1,006 ฿33.9K

123.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 A$2,457

$633 ฿21.3K

171.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,079 A$7,253

$2,363 ฿79.6K

114.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,926 A$7,035

$1,589 ฿53.6K

210.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Broken Hill: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.1% $761

Groceries & Markets

Broken Hill

$383 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.7% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Broken Hill

$287 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.1% $193

Eating Out

Broken Hill

$283 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.6% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Broken Hill

$156 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.5% $48

Getting Around

Broken Hill

$100 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 38.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Broken Hill

$92 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,594 in Broken Hill and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Broken Hill vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

3 h 30 min behind Broken Hill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,456

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Broken Hill Chiang Mai 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Broken Hill
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

Broken Hill vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,556 in Broken Hill and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,594 in Broken Hill versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,372 in Broken Hill versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Broken Hill. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Broken Hill and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Broken Hill. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.