Cost of Living Comparison Between Buff Bay and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Buff Bay and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Buff Bay is 34.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 2.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Buff Bay is 36% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 9.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.59 JMD 1,188
$2.03 ฿64.2
273.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.7 JMD 9,966
$18.59 ฿588
242.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.13 JMD 802
$7.48 ฿237
-31.42%
Cappuccino
$4.40 JMD 688
$2.00 ฿63.2
120.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 JMD 112
$0.85 ฿26.81
-15.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 JMD 96.5
$0.35 ฿11.13
77.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 JMD 298
$2.21 ฿70.0
-13.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 JMD 486
$3.76 ฿119
-17.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$4.25 JMD 665
$1.72 ฿54.4
147.09%
White Bread (500g)
$3.66 JMD 573
$1.63 ฿51.7
124.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 JMD 244
$1.16 ฿36.66
34.48%
Eggs
$3.56 JMD 556
$1.98 ฿62.6
79.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.89 JMD 1,703
$15.93 ฿504
-31.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.28 JMD 982
$3.17 ฿100
98.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.42 JMD 1,161
$10.90 ฿345
-31.93%
Apples (1kg)
$5.89 JMD 922
$2.65 ฿83.7
122.26%
Banana (1kg)
$3.12 JMD 488
$1.22 ฿38.70
155.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.12 JMD 645
$1.70 ฿53.7
142.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.05 JMD 478
$1.59 ฿50.3
91.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.12 JMD 331
$1.32 ฿41.90
60.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 JMD 306
$1.17 ฿36.99
67.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.12 JMD 488
$0.68 ฿21.46
358.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 JMD 235
$0.56 ฿17.64
167.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.84 JMD 1,383
$4.51 ฿143
96.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.41 JMD 1,786
$19.07 ฿604
-40.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 JMD 436
$1.77 ฿56.0
57.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 JMD 494
$3.18 ฿101
-0.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.96 ฿30.47
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.90 ฿598
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 JMD 176
$1.36 ฿42.98
-16.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.11 JMD 487
$1.35 ฿42.80
130.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.31 JMD 987
$8.03 ฿254
-21.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 JMD 191
$1.24 ฿39.34
-1.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.6K JMD 6.8M
$21.2K ฿669.8K
106.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.5K JMD 5.2M
$21.8K ฿688.5K
54.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$164 JMD 25.6K
$71.2 ฿2,255
130.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.75 JMD 3,402
$14.09 ฿446
54.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.7 JMD 7,935
$17.47 ฿553
190.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$42.07 ฿1,332
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.88 ฿218
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.35 JMD 2,087
$5.94 ฿188
124.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$226 JMD 35.3K
$307 ฿9,728
-26.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,449 JMD 383.1K
$14.8K ฿468.2K
-83.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.58 JMD 4,001
$55.7 ฿1,762
-54.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.60 JMD 4,005
$26.79 ฿848
-4.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.6 JMD 11.0K
$83.2 ฿2,634
-15.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.0 JMD 12.0K
$70.1 ฿2,219
9.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$427 ฿13.5K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$237 ฿7,504
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$802 ฿25.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$503 ฿15.9K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,061 ฿65.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,533 ฿48.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buff Bay
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$654 ฿20.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.15
5
83.00%

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

Last update for Buff Bay: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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