Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bunbury and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,192 in Bunbury, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Bunbury
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Bunbury Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bunbury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,192

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Bunbury versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bunbury $2,192
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,364 in Bunbury versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bunbury $3,364
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,536 in Bunbury versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bunbury $4,536
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bunbury is roughly 134% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bunbury is 61% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.96 A$29.81

$2.24 ฿75.6

835.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 A$117

$19.00 ฿641

334.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 A$15.89

$5.55 ฿187

101.26%

Cappuccino

$4.15 A$5.90

$1.67 ฿56.5

148.50%

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

$2.77 A$3.94

$0.64 ฿21.55

332.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 A$3.13

$0.31 ฿10.31

609.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.49 A$12.08

$2.36 ฿79.6

259.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.53 A$12.13

$3.66 ฿124

133.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 A$1.54

$1.95 ฿65.8

-44.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 A$1.58

$1.44 ฿48.48

-22.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 A$2.78

$1.33 ฿45.04

47.37%

Eggs

$5.30 A$7.54

$2.28 ฿77.1

132.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.85

$16.45 ฿555

-45.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 A$11.88

$2.78 ฿93.9

200.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.27 A$11.77

$9.31 ฿314

-11.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 A$5.30

$2.35 ฿79.4

58.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.49

$0.97 ฿32.80

224.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.07

$1.60 ฿53.9

78.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.53

$1.50 ฿50.6

206.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$1.28 ฿43.12

117.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.81

$1.10 ฿37.19

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 A$2.54

$0.71 ฿23.82

150.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 A$1.12

$0.49 ฿16.37

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.21 A$37.28

$4.14 ฿140

533.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 A$9.90

$17.52 ฿591

-60.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.39 A$6.24

$1.61 ฿54.5

172.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 A$4.85

$2.78 ฿94.0

22.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 A$4.04

$0.87 ฿29.31

226.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.9 A$79.5

$54.1 ฿1,826

3.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 A$5.05

$1.16 ฿39.06

206.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.02

$0.53 ฿17.80

167.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.44 A$50.4

$2.42 ฿81.8

1364.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 A$1.74

$1.45 ฿48.90

-15.86%

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

$20.7K A$29.5K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

-1.52%

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

$18.7K A$26.6K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-30.54%

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

$157 A$224

$62.2 ฿2,098

153.06%

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

$32.85 A$46.72

$12.17 ฿411

169.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 A$89.4

$20.12 ฿679

212.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 A$79.1

$37.31 ฿1,259

48.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.48 A$14.90

$3.77 ฿127

177.98%

Cinema Ticket

$13.92 A$19.80

$6.49 ฿219

114.48%

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

$2,269 A$3,227

$736 ฿24.8K

208.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.6K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

55.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 A$109

$53.4 ฿1,801

44.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$89.7

$24.64 ฿831

155.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$173

$91.5 ฿3,087

33.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 A$137

$71.9 ฿2,428

33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 A$1,411

$482 ฿16.3K

105.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 A$1,419

$309 ฿10.4K

222.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 A$2,631

$1,006 ฿33.9K

83.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 A$2,577

$633 ฿21.4K

185.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,785 A$6,806

$2,363 ฿79.8K

102.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,027 A$5,727

$1,589 ฿53.6K

153.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,606 A$6,551

$590 ฿19.9K

681.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Bunbury: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bunbury

$998 45.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 69% $689

Eating Out

Bunbury

$330 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.5% $253

Groceries & Markets

Bunbury

$288 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bunbury

$253 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Bunbury

$161 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 32.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Bunbury

$83 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 39.7% $33

Getting Around

Bunbury

$78 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $992 in Bunbury and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Bunbury vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bunbury

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h behind Bunbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,196

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bunbury Chiang Mai 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bunbury
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

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

Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Bunbury is about 7.8 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: $992 in Bunbury versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,269 in Bunbury 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 23% higher in Bunbury. 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, Bunbury 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 57% less than in Bunbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.