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

😐 Solo nomad: Cairns is 91.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 164.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cairns is 123% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 144.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.67 A$17.88

$2.02 ฿65.3

477.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 A$125

$18.78 ฿608

335.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$16.33

$7.67 ฿248

38.98%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$6.01

$1.98 ฿64.2

97.98%

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

$2.73 A$4.19

$0.82 ฿26.64

232.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.46

$0.33 ฿10.58

584.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 A$10.09

$2.12 ฿68.6

210.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 A$10.83

$3.73 ฿121

89.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.7 A$2.61

$1.64 ฿53.2

3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 A$3.85

$1.57 ฿50.9

59.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 A$4.15

$1.19 ฿38.62

127.73%

Eggs

$3.93 A$6.02

$1.98 ฿64.1

98.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 A$12.06

$15.99 ฿517

-50.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.08

$3.12 ฿101

194.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 A$19.67

$11.16 ฿361

15.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.58

$2.76 ฿89.2

8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.53

$1.22 ฿39.5

89.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 A$4.07

$1.71 ฿55.4

55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.39 A$11.32

$1.55 ฿50.2

376.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.5

$1.34 ฿43.21

70.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.42

$1.21 ฿39.23

84.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 A$3.47

$0.72 ฿23.2

215.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 A$4.42

$0.53 ฿17.05

443.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.83 A$45.69

$4.72 ฿153

531.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 A$16.89

$18.39 ฿595

-40.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 A$5.2

$1.79 ฿57.9

89.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$5.39

$3.21 ฿104

9.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.94

$0.94 ฿30.44

242.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.4 A$100

$18.9 ฿612

246.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 A$9.86

$1.42 ฿46.08

353.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 A$4.8

$1.35 ฿43.53

131.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.86 A$51.9

$7.85 ฿254

331.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.77

$1.25 ฿40.4

-8.00%

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

$22.7K A$34.8K

$21.2K ฿684.9K

7.27%

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

$19.2K A$29.4K

$21.8K ฿706.8K

-12.21%

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

$153 A$234

$70.6 ฿2,285

116.56%

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

$37.09 A$56.8

$13.72 ฿444

170.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59 A$90.3

$17.56 ฿568

235.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.89 A$59.6

$41.64 ฿1,347

-6.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.92 A$24.39

$6.9 ฿223

130.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 A$19.88

$5.8 ฿188

123.79%

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

$1,628 A$2,494

$308 ฿9,963

428.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$18.5K

$14.7K ฿475.8K

-17.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83 A$127

$55.4 ฿1,793

49.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 A$101

$26.4 ฿854

150.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 A$150

$85.1 ฿2,755

15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$206

$71.8 ฿2,323

87.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 A$1,828

$434 ฿14K

174.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 A$1,701

$235 ฿7,610

372.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 A$3,128

$821 ฿26.6K

148.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,858 A$2,847

$498 ฿16.1K

272.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,035 A$9,246

$2,180 ฿70.6K

176.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,795 A$7,346

$1,543 ฿49.9K

210.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,813 A$4,310

$703 ฿22.8K

299.95%

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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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