Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnie and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,646 in Burnie, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Burnie
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Burnie Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Burnie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,646

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Burnie versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Burnie $1,646
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,474 in Burnie versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Burnie $2,474
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,301 in Burnie versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Burnie $3,301
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Burnie is roughly 75% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Burnie is 22% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.62 A$26.80

$2.26 ฿75.4

723.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.2 A$133

$19.18 ฿641

380.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 A$8.06

$5.59 ฿187

0.18%

Cappuccino

$3.88 A$5.58

$1.72 ฿57.6

125.58%

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

$3.39 A$4.87

$0.64 ฿21.54

429.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 A$2.53

$0.33 ฿11.18

433.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 A$6.11

$2.36 ฿78.7

80.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 A$8.39

$3.90 ฿130

49.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 A$2.66

$2.05 ฿68.6

-9.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.40 ฿46.70

73.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.69

$1.28 ฿42.89

46.09%

Eggs

$5.04 A$7.25

$2.25 ฿75.3

124.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 A$14.24

$16.94 ฿566

-41.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 A$8.87

$2.74 ฿91.6

125.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.30 A$24.89

$9.36 ฿313

84.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$2.40 ฿80.3

17.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.92

$1.01 ฿33.92

170.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.08

$1.61 ฿53.9

32.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.08

$1.52 ฿50.7

86.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$1.28 ฿42.90

96.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.03

$1.11 ฿37.22

90.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 A$3.08

$0.72 ฿24.09

197.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.52 ฿17.54

219.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$36.64 A$52.7

$4.33 ฿145

746.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 A$21.06

$17.73 ฿593

-17.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 A$4.97

$1.63 ฿54.4

112.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 A$7.82

$2.85 ฿95.3

90.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 A$2.72

$0.85 ฿28.31

122.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 A$3.84

$1.17 ฿39.18

128.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 A$2.96

$0.57 ฿19.00

259.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.09 A$59.1

$2.37 ฿79.2

1633.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.86

$1.45 ฿48.32

-11.03%

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

$26.9K A$38.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

31.51%

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

$31.2K A$44.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

17.52%

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

$210 A$302

$62.3 ฿2,083

236.27%

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

$21.19 A$30.49

$12.27 ฿410

72.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.00 A$69.1

$19.97 ฿668

140.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 A$20.42

$6.71 ฿224

111.48%

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

$2,007 A$2,888

$797 ฿26.6K

151.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K A$30.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

41.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$53.3 ฿1,780

45.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.96 A$34.48

$25.05 ฿837

-4.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$149

$91.6 ฿3,062

12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 A$138

$73.5 ฿2,455

30.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 A$1,173

$464 ฿15.5K

75.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 A$840

$305 ฿10.2K

91.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 A$1,607

$915 ฿30.6K

22.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 A$1,199

$552 ฿18.5K

50.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,999 A$7,193

$595 ฿19.9K

739.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.6

5.57

0.54%

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

Last update for Burnie: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnie

$584 35.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 47.8% $279

Groceries & Markets

Burnie

$334 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 28.7% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnie

$279 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 66.1% $184

Eating Out

Burnie

$266 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 70.3% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Burnie

$135 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 18.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Burnie

$28 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 80.8% $23

Getting Around

Burnie

$21 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 199% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $815 in Burnie and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnie pays 740% 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: $92.0 in Burnie vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Burnie

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

4 h behind Burnie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,267

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burnie Chiang Mai 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnie
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

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

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 740% higher in Burnie, 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: $815 in Burnie versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Burnie. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,646 per month in Burnie versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,646 in Burnie, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Burnie. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Burnie, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Burnie and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Burnie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.