Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookvale and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,565 in Brookvale, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Brookvale
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Brookvale Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brookvale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,565

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,565 in Brookvale versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Brookvale $2,565
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,679 in Brookvale versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Brookvale $3,679
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,794 in Brookvale versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Brookvale $4,794
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Brookvale is roughly 174% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brookvale is 88% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 A$25.41

$2.24 ฿75.5

694.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 A$127

$19.00 ฿640

368.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 A$14.87

$5.55 ฿187

87.57%

Cappuccino

$4.04 A$5.77

$1.67 ฿56.4

141.92%

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

$2.92 A$4.18

$0.64 ฿21.51

356.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.24

$0.31 ฿10.29

632.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 A$11.76

$2.36 ฿79.5

248.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 A$10.45

$3.66 ฿123

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.25

$1.95 ฿65.7

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$1.44 ฿48.41

106.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.40

$1.33 ฿44.97

78.95%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.36

$2.28 ฿77.0

126.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 A$16.91

$16.45 ฿554

-28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 A$13.65

$2.78 ฿93.8

243.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 A$22.30

$9.31 ฿314

67.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.62

$2.35 ฿79.3

67.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.52

$0.97 ฿32.75

226.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 A$4.82

$1.60 ฿53.8

111.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.33

$1.50 ฿50.6

242.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.60

$1.28 ฿43.06

151.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.10

$1.10 ฿37.14

160.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$0.71 ฿23.79

226.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$0.49 ฿16.34

185.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.39 A$63.4

$4.14 ฿140

972.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 A$20.35

$17.52 ฿590

-18.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 A$5.74

$1.61 ฿54.4

149.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 A$5.78

$2.78 ฿93.8

45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.11 A$4.44

$0.87 ฿29.27

257.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 A$125

$54.1 ฿1,823

61.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.99

$1.16 ฿39.00

200.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$0.53 ฿17.78

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.58 A$58.0

$2.42 ฿81.6

1576.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.98

$1.45 ฿48.82

-4.83%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

33.64%

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

$26.6K A$38.0K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-1.35%

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

$183 A$262

$62.2 ฿2,095

195.03%

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

$27.11 A$38.71

$12.17 ฿410

122.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$80.7

$20.12 ฿678

180.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 A$82.3

$37.31 ฿1,257

54.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 A$22.65

$3.77 ฿127

320.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 A$22.66

$6.49 ฿219

144.53%

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

$2,397 A$3,423

$736 ฿24.8K

225.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.2K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

38.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$109

$53.4 ฿1,799

42.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 A$82.3

$24.64 ฿830

134.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$91.5 ฿3,083

16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$71.9 ฿2,424

76.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 A$1,414

$482 ฿16.3K

105.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 A$1,787

$309 ฿10.4K

305.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,216 A$3,165

$1,006 ฿33.9K

120.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 A$2,560

$633 ฿21.3K

183.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,889 A$8,410

$2,363 ฿79.6K

149.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,963 A$7,087

$1,589 ฿53.6K

212.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,423 A$2,033

$590 ฿19.9K

141.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.57

6.28%

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

Last update for Brookvale: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookvale

$1.3K 48.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 75.3% $942

Groceries & Markets

Brookvale

$382 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.6% $147

Eating Out

Brookvale

$299 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookvale

$267 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.6% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Brookvale

$165 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.3% $57

Getting Around

Brookvale

$111 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 44.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Brookvale

$89 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 43.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $990 in Brookvale and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brookvale pays about 2.4 times 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: $89 in Brookvale vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brookvale

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

4 h behind Brookvale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,127

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 = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brookvale Chiang Mai 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookvale
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,565 in Brookvale and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brookvale is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $990 in Brookvale versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,565 per month in Brookvale versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 38% less than in Brookvale. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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, Brookvale 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 64% less than in Brookvale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.