Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Cairns is 91.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 159.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cairns is 102.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 153.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.56 A$17.34

$1.97 ฿62.0

486.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.8 A$123

$18.68 ฿587

337.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.93 A$16.39

$7.92 ฿249

38.01%

Cappuccino

$3.95 A$5.92

$2.02 ฿63.7

95.54%

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

$2.81 A$4.22

$0.84 ฿26.45

234.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 A$3.32

$0.35 ฿11.07

531.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 A$9.98

$2.22 ฿69.9

199.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 A$10.64

$3.59 ฿113

97.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.61

$1.67 ฿52.4

4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 A$3.59

$1.62 ฿51.1

47.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 A$4.19

$1.20 ฿37.83

132.50%

Eggs

$4.08 A$6.11

$1.93 ฿60.8

111.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 A$12.31

$16.00 ฿503

-48.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 A$13.61

$3.16 ฿99.2

187.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.58 A$18.87

$10.93 ฿344

15.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.65

$2.67 ฿83.8

16.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.45

$1.18 ฿36.99

94.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 A$4.02

$1.64 ฿51.5

63.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.37 A$11.06

$1.59 ฿49.83

363.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.46

$1.32 ฿41.64

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.50

$1.19 ฿37.49

96.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.39

$0.71 ฿22.20

218.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 A$4.43

$0.56 ฿17.75

426.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.47 A$44.20

$4.64 ฿146

535.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.37 A$17.05

$18.96 ฿596

-40.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 A$4.92

$1.77 ฿55.7

85.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.48

$3.20 ฿101

14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 A$4.97

$0.90 ฿28.32

267.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 A$99.1

$19.24 ฿605

243.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 A$9.69

$1.36 ฿42.78

375.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 A$4.79

$1.35 ฿42.37

136.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.66 A$50.5

$8.15 ฿256

313.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 A$1.72

$1.22 ฿38.43

-6.56%

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

$22.4K A$33.6K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

4.85%

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

$19.2K A$28.8K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

-11.78%

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

$153 A$230

$70.3 ฿2,210

118.11%

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

$36.98 A$55.5

$13.91 ฿437

165.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 A$89.4

$18.00 ฿566

230.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.58 A$56.4

$41.78 ฿1,314

-10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.87 A$23.80

$6.80 ฿214

133.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 A$19.36

$5.72 ฿180

125.70%

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

$1,629 A$2,444

$308 ฿9,693

428.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$18.2K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-18.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.9 A$124

$55.9 ฿1,756

48.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 A$101

$26.71 ฿840

153.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 A$151

$84.5 ฿2,658

19.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 A$204

$70.8 ฿2,227

91.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 A$1,847

$431 ฿13.5K

185.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,103 A$1,655

$237 ฿7,439

366.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,004 A$3,006

$811 ฿25.5K

147.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,863 A$2,795

$501 ฿15.7K

272.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,168 A$9,252

$2,202 ฿69.2K

180.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,807 A$7,210

$1,600 ฿50.3K

200.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,874 A$5,811

$684 ฿21.5K

466.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.96

39.20%

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

Last update for Cairns: January 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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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