Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Brunei and Chiang Mai
For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,350 in Brunei, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
-
Brunei Living Index66Cost of Living Index in BruneiLearn more -
Chiang Mai Living Index45Cost of Living Index in Chiang MaiLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Brunei is 42.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 49% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Brunei is 43.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 44.4% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.94 BND 6.33
$2.13 ฿71.4
131.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.92 BND 47.26
$19.40 ฿649
90.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.12 BND 7.83
$5.47 ฿183
11.88%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 BND 2.52
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 BND 3.09
-
-
Cappuccino
$4.15 BND 5.32
$1.68 ฿56.4
147.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 BND 1.44
$0.66 ฿22.10
71.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 BND 0.92
$0.34 ฿11.52
111.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.42 ฿81.0
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.73 ฿125
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.23 BND 2.86
$2.06 ฿68.9
8.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.99 BND 2.55
$1.46 ฿48.78
36.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.08 BND 2.66
$1.35 ฿45.09
54.07%
Eggs
$2.37 BND 3.04
$2.27 ฿76.0
4.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.59 BND 21.24
$16.31 ฿546
1.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.20 BND 9.21
$2.70 ฿90.3
166.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.39 BND 22.26
$9.20 ฿308
89.02%
Apples (1kg)
$3.93 BND 5.03
$2.39 ฿80.1
64.44%
Banana (1kg)
$3.83 BND 4.91
$1.04 ฿34.66
268.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.56 BND 4.56
$1.60 ฿53.7
122.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.16 BND 5.33
$1.44 ฿48.37
188.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.42 BND 3.10
$1.30 ฿43.59
86.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.28 BND 2.92
$1.11 ฿37.29
105.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.49 BND 5.75
$0.70 ฿23.55
541.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 BND 1.34
$0.51 ฿16.99
105.88%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$15.76 BND 20.18
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.09 BND 6.52
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 BND 1.42
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.60 BND 14.85
$4.13 ฿138
180.87%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$17.78 ฿595
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 ฿54.7
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.87 ฿96.0
-
🚌 Getting Around
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 BND 1.01
$0.86 ฿28.76
-8.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$0.80 BND 1.02
$53.2 ฿1,780
-98.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 BND 5.10
$1.22 ฿40.81
226.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 BND 4.34
$0.56 ฿18.81
505.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.94 BND 15.29
$2.31 ฿77.5
416.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.40 BND 0.52
$1.50 ฿50.2
-73.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.0K BND 55.0K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
105.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.0K BND 38.4K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
12.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.9 BND 72.8
$61.3 ฿2,051
-7.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.44 BND 27.45
$12.50 ฿419
71.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$92.4 BND 118
$20.36 ฿682
353.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.1 BND 64.2
$37.94 ฿1,270
32.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.80 BND 7.42
$3.77 ฿126
53.85%
Cinema Ticket
$5.54 BND 7.09
$6.60 ฿221
-16.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$178 BND 228
$774 ฿25.9K
-76.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K BND 14.5K
$14.4K ฿483.2K
-21.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.3 BND 100
$54.8 ฿1,835
42.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$85.3 BND 109
$25.26 ฿846
237.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 BND 146
$90.6 ฿3,032
25.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.2 BND 127
$73.3 ฿2,453
35.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 BND 944
$459 ฿15.4K
60.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$506 BND 648
$294 ฿9,835
72.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,132 BND 1,449
$919 ฿30.8K
23.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$789 BND 1,010
$552 ฿18.5K
42.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,063 BND 3,921
$1,917 ฿64.2K
59.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,309 BND 2,956
$1,445 ฿48.4K
59.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brunei
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,239 BND 2,866
$592 ฿19.8K
277.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.88
5.57
-30.34%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Brunei: October 4, 2026
Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brunei $506 37.1%
Chiang Mai $294 31.8% 42% $213
Groceries & Markets
Brunei $318 23.3%
Chiang Mai $236 25.6% 25.8% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brunei $171 12.5%
Chiang Mai $94 10.2% 44.9% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Brunei $169 12.4%
Chiang Mai $110 11.9% 35.2% $60
Eating Out
Brunei $115 8.4%
Chiang Mai $77 8.4% 32.9% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Brunei $61 4.5%
Chiang Mai $51 5.5% 16.5% $10
Getting Around
Brunei $25 1.8%
Chiang Mai $61 6.6% 144% $36
Accommodation & Living
Brunei $789 29%
Chiang Mai $552 29% 30.1% $237
Groceries & Markets
Brunei $770 28.3%
Chiang Mai $529 27.8% 31.3% $241
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brunei $192 7.1%
Chiang Mai $107 5.6% 44.5% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Brunei $377 13.8%
Chiang Mai $244 12.8% 35.2% $133
Eating Out
Brunei $415 15.2%
Chiang Mai $243 12.8% 41.3% $171
Sport & Entertainment
Brunei $128 4.7%
Chiang Mai $106 5.6% 17.3% $22
Getting Around
Brunei $51 1.9%
Chiang Mai $123 6.5% 140% $72
Good to know
🇧🇳 Brunei
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
Weather
Population
458,949
127,240
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Brunei Chiang Mai 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
- Brunei
- 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
Brunei vs other spots: cost of living compared
Similar countries
65
Cost of Living Index in Hungary
Learn more
🇦🇷 Argentina
66
Cost of Living Index in Argentina
Learn more
🇨🇴 Colombia
63
Cost of Living Index in Colombia
Learn more
🇯🇵 Japan
63
Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more
🇲🇪 Montenegro
64
Cost of Living Index in Montenegro
Learn more
🇱🇻 Latvia
69
Cost of Living Index in Latvia
Learn more
🇦🇲 Armenia
67
Cost of Living Index in Armenia
Learn more
🇴🇲 Oman
69
Cost of Living Index in Oman
Learn more