Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ca Mau and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ca Mau: $733 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Ca Mau
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Ca Mau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ca Mau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$733

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $733 per month in Ca Mau vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ca Mau $733
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,201 per month in Ca Mau vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ca Mau $1,201
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,669 per month in Ca Mau vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ca Mau $1,669
Chiang Mai $1,999

Ca Mau is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ca Mau and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ca Mau 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.23 ₫57.3K

$2.13 ฿72.0

4.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.03 ₫464.3K

$18.62 ฿628

-3.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.72 ₫95.7K

$5.60 ฿189

-33.57%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ₫38.6K

$1.66 ฿56.1

-9.64%

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

$0.52 ₫13.3K

$0.65 ฿21.83

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,781

$0.30 ฿10.29

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ₫23.9K

$2.32 ฿78.4

-59.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₫35.0K

$3.67 ฿124

-62.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₫40.1K

$2.02 ฿68.0

-22.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$1.41 ฿47.51

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₫23.6K

$1.39 ฿46.96

-33.81%

Eggs

$1.43 ₫36.9K

$2.37 ฿79.9

-39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 ₫272.6K

$16.52 ฿557

-35.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ₫86.2K

$2.67 ฿90.1

25.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 ₫247.6K

$9.02 ฿304

6.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.6K

$2.40 ฿80.9

28.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$1.04 ฿35.13

1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ₫36.0K

$1.66 ฿56.0

-15.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.2K

$1.56 ฿52.6

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ₫25.2K

$1.24 ฿41.76

-20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ₫34.5K

$1.09 ฿36.66

22.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.76 ฿25.70

-18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.5K

$0.51 ฿17.35

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 ₫39.4K

$4.12 ฿139

-62.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 ₫223.6K

$17.93 ฿605

-51.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₫22.9K

$1.62 ฿54.8

-45.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₫42.5K

$2.82 ฿95.2

-41.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,815

$0.93 ฿31.53

-67.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.64 ₫196.8K

$52.9 ฿1,785

-85.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₫20.2K

$1.18 ฿39.70

-33.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 ₫13.8K

$0.17 ฿5.79

217.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₫63.1K

$1.81 ฿61.1

35.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 ₫24.1K

$1.47 ฿49.69

-36.05%

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

$32.3K ₫832.9M

$21.0K ฿708.9K

53.94%

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

$24.4K ₫627.7M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

-8.06%

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

$77.9 ₫2.0M

$62.6 ฿2,111

24.47%

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

$5.14 ₫132.4K

$11.60 ฿392

-55.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.54 ₫194.0K

$20.30 ฿685

-62.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.34 ₫523.8K

$37.88 ฿1,278

-46.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.88 ₫202.8K

$3.70 ฿125

112.97%

Cinema Ticket

$2.87 ₫73.9K

$6.51 ฿220

-55.91%

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

$372 ₫9.6M

$727 ฿24.5K

-48.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ₫379.4M

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-11.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.95 ₫1.2M

$53.5 ฿1,807

-12.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 ₫644.7K

$24.80 ฿837

0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 ₫2.3M

$90.4 ฿3,050

-1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 ₫1.7M

$72.0 ฿2,428

-5.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 ₫10.7M

$481 ฿16.2K

-13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 ₫6.7M

$310 ฿10.5K

-16.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 ₫17.2M

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-37.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₫16.1M

$659 ฿22.2K

-4.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,345 ₫60.4M

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-3.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 ₫35.1M

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-15.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.17

5.57

46.68%

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

Last update for Ca Mau: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ca Mau

$258 35.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 19.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Ca Mau

$185 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 27.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Ca Mau

$103 14%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 5.2% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ca Mau

$91 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 4.3% $3.9

Eating Out

Ca Mau

$58 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 32.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ca Mau

$26 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 95.2% $25

Getting Around

Ca Mau

$12 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 376% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Ca Mau versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Ca Mau versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $237 – making Ca Mau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ca Mau

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

Same time as Ca Mau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,372

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 25,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,797 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ca Mau Chiang Mai 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ca Mau
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

Ca Mau vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,100 per month in Ca Mau and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ca Mau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 86% less in Ca Mau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $372 per month in Ca Mau and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Ca Mau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Ca Mau is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 22% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.