Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caernarfon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,211 in Caernarfon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Caernarfon despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Caernarfon
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Caernarfon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Caernarfon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,211

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,211 in Caernarfon versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Caernarfon $1,211
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,727 in Caernarfon versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Caernarfon $2,727
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,243 in Caernarfon versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Caernarfon $4,243
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Caernarfon is roughly 29% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caernarfon 11% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.08 £9.85

$2.24 ฿75.7

483.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.0 £70.7

$19.00 ฿642

394.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 £7.20

$5.55 ฿188

72.43%

Cappuccino

$3.98 £2.99

$1.67 ฿56.6

138.32%

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

$2.73 £2.05

$0.64 ฿21.56

326.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.48

$0.31 ฿10.32

535.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 £3.68

$2.36 ฿79.6

107.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 £3.06

$3.66 ฿124

10.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.95 ฿65.8

-4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.44 ฿48.51

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 £1.67

$1.33 ฿45.07

66.92%

Eggs

$2.43 £1.83

$2.28 ฿77.1

6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 £6.85

$16.45 ฿556

-44.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 £5.37

$2.78 ฿94.0

156.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 £11.62

$9.31 ฿314

65.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 £2.00

$2.35 ฿79.5

13.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 £0.98

$0.97 ฿32.82

35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.60 ฿53.9

-18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.50 ฿50.7

-8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 £1.29

$1.28 ฿43.15

33.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.10 ฿37.22

64.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 £1.04

$0.71 ฿23.84

94.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.49 ฿16.38

238.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.58 £16.99

$4.14 ฿140

445.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 £6.83

$17.52 ฿592

-48.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 £2.86

$1.61 ฿54.5

136.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 £2.67

$2.78 ฿94.0

27.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.44 £4.09

$0.87 ฿29.33

525.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 £50.5

$54.1 ฿1,827

23.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 £3.74

$1.16 ฿39.08

328.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 £1.78

$0.53 ฿17.82

347.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.60 £17.76

$2.42 ฿81.8

875.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.45 ฿48.93

37.93%

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

$38.4K £28.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

82.52%

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

$40.9K £30.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

51.71%

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

$320 £241

$62.2 ฿2,100

414.83%

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

$21.68 £16.32

$12.17 ฿411

78.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.41 £30.41

$20.12 ฿680

100.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.92 £22.52

$37.31 ฿1,260

-19.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$16.22 £12.20

$6.49 ฿219

149.92%

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

$1,608 £1,210

$736 ฿24.9K

118.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K £18.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

63.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 £78.9

$53.4 ฿1,802

96.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.01 £36.88

$24.64 ฿832

98.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.9

$91.5 ฿3,089

17.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 £59.2

$71.9 ฿2,429

9.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 £506

$482 ฿16.3K

39.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 £1,202

$633 ฿21.4K

152.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,538 £2,663

$590 ฿19.9K

499.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

5.57

-8.62%

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

Last update for Caernarfon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caernarfon

$382 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 75.3% $288

Groceries & Markets

Caernarfon

$276 22.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 15% $41

Eating Out

Caernarfon

$232 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.6% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Caernarfon

$153 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29% $44

Getting Around

Caernarfon

$106 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 41.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Caernarfon

$62 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.4% $12

Accommodation & Living

Caernarfon

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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 $673 in Caernarfon and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caernarfon pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $94 in Caernarfon vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Caernarfon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

05:59 5:59 AM

7 h ahead of Caernarfon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,500

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caernarfon Chiang Mai 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Caernarfon
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

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

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Caernarfon is about 6 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: $673 in Caernarfon versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $94 in Caernarfon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,211 per month in Caernarfon versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Caernarfon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.